Heartbeat
by keiraliz
Summary: What if Elizabeth wasn't the woman Will married during the battle in the third film? What if he didn't meet her until more than 200 years later? AU, Post-AWE, Modern Willabeth.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** What if Elizabeth wasn't the woman Will married during the battle? What if he didn't meet her until 200 years after the third film? AU, Post-AWE, Modern Willabeth. Slightly OOC?

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

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**Prologue – Will's POV**

_Angel._ Somebody who is kind or beautiful. That was how I described Victoria Hamilton the day I met her on the crossing from England in 1714. She had rescued me from death after the passenger ship I was on was attacked by pirates and left to burn and sink. I was merely floating on a piece of wood half-dead when she spotted me and the crew of her ship pulled me out of the water. When I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was Victoria, and I thought she was an angel.

_Love_. To feel tender affection or desire for somebody. We were best friends since she rescued me and playmates until I worked as a full-time blacksmith apprentice and she grew up in high society. But I fell in love with her. It wasn't supposed to happen, and it wasn't proper, but it did. I loved her, and it wasn't until I was barely the age of twenty and risked my life to let a pirate captain go free from the gallows that she told me she loved me back. Her father wasn't pleased with it, society wasn't pleased with it, but I couldn't be any happier.

That is, until our wedding day got ruined by the bastard who saw fit that Victoria and I should be put in jail because we had allowed a man wanted by law to escape.

I risked my life again to go out and get the damnable key from Davy Jones for his chest because Captain Jack Sparrow wanted it and wouldn't even let me consider having his "broken" compass unless I got it. I needed that compass to set Victoria free and was determined to do so only to find she escaped jail herself and ended up with Jack on the _Black Pearl_ while I was a slave to the _Flying Dutchman._

I accepted what happened to me only because I was doing it all for Victoria and for us. Little did I know that she would go behind my back to kiss the infamous Jack Sparrow and led me to believe she loved him instead of me. Little did I know that we wouldn't speak to each other unless it was absolutely necessary and until Jack had openly expressed that dear Victoria Hamilton had left him for the Locker.

But I forgave her. I know I did because during one of the worst storms I have ever seen in my entire life and during one of the worst pirate battles I had ever fought in, I married her. I proposed again, and we married shortly afterwards. I could've set my father free from the _Dutchman_, as he was slowly becoming part of the ship, but I didn't. I chose her. And I was happy. So freely happy despite the fact that I was fighting for my life.

_Fate_. _Destiny._ Tia Dalma—or Calypso, as she is truly called—told me I had a touch of destiny in me. People have told me that fate can be the cruelest of all things. I never realized how true that was until Davy Jones ran a sword through my chest and pierced my heart, leaving me to die. Everything was hazy and blurry, and I knew I was dying, but I also knew what my destiny was: to become captain of the _Flying Dutchman_. My fate—our fate—was to be separated from my wife for ten long years only to see her for one day. One day to spend time with her and show her that I loved her.

But she got tired of waiting.

1735 was the year I was to return and reunite with my beloved. I walked in the town she was at and asked for a Victoria Hamilton only to hear that Mrs. Victoria _Jackson_ was on the beach with her husband and five children for the day. I had no choice but to confront her. She felt guilty—sorry—when she saw me. The green eyes I used to admire and fall in love with her all over again stared at me as if I was only a figure before she parted her red lips to speak.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Stupid question, I know, but I wanted to hear it from her and no one else.

Victoria bit those lips and glanced back to where her family was playing in the water and building a sandcastle. "I couldn't wait," she said. "I tried and tried, but Robert came two years after you left. And, well, I fell in love with him. He was _there_, Will."

I understood. I understood completely. Ten years was a long time, but one day was not enough for her. Robert Jackson was a good man, as I met him before I left. I gave his wife—my ex-wife—my blessing for her to be happy and be with who she pleased. She was grateful, and he was relieved about how I dealt with the matter, but my heart felt like it was ripping in two and I wanted nothing more to end my life.

Calypso had other plans. My heart continued to beat in that bloody Dead Man's Chest that helped start the mess I call my life. I stepped on land once every ten years even though there was no need for it. I never saw Victoria again face to face, but I heard of how she safely delivered two more children. I heard of how Robert passed away and how she did shortly afterwards. I caught glimpses of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren before I decided to never return to Port Royal or to the Caribbean for my one day on land.

My name is Will Turner, and I'm the captain of the _Flying Dutchman_. Some people fear me; some people say I'm crazy. My response? It's all Victoria's fault.

-----

_28 August 1995_

I had vowed to never return to Port Royal or to the Caribbean after seeing Victoria's great-grandchildren playing on the same beach Victoria and I used to sneak away to as both children and adults. But after over 200 years, I was tired of revisiting Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia over and over again, so I reluctantly allowed my crew to take us to the Caribbean for my one-day stay.

They picked Port Royal. Of course they would, although I had a feeling that my father had something to do with the arrangement. I didn't mind it, though. There was no reminder of Victoria in that town, no sign of any of her descendants, and the beach we used to sneak off to without chaperones was occupied by families and college students on Spring Break. I was more than happy to see the now modern town and was more than happy to let the past disappear.

However, that same, memorable beach was still there and left unchanged except for the tourists wanting to get a tan. I avoided the crowds and instead walked near the rocks that no one bothered to hang around, wanting peace and quiet. No questions, no stares. Just me and, well, rocks.

Or so I thought.

"_Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me."_

I froze on the spot when a heard a girl's voice singing the song I learned so long ago from Victoria during the many, silly games we played as pirate captains. The crew of the _Flying Dutchman_ would sing it all the time—especially in a drunken state—but I hadn't heard if from a girl since Victoria left me.

"_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot,  
__Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!"_

The girl was young. When I finally caught the sight of who was singing such a song, I realized that she had to be no older than nine or ten years of age. She was petite too, drawing sloppy designs on the sand she was sitting on. I didn't know if her parents were nearby or not, but she certainly didn't seem to care.

"_We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,  
__Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!  
__Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me."_

I allowed myself to sing with her until she glanced up at me and gasped, obviously startled. I smiled in an attempt to apologize for intruding, but her light brown eyes were still opened wide. I sighed and finally decided to speak to her, "Hello."

The girl blinked, staring up at me. "Are you a pirate?" she asked boldly.

I took a step back, not expecting such a thing to come out of a little girl's mouth. "What makes you think that?" I asked hesitantly.

"'Cause you look like one."

Truthful answer, I suppose. But damn, she had no idea how accurate her answer really was. "Well," I answered. "I work at one of those themed restaurants, if that's what you mean."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "They look fake," she said matter-of-factly. "But you don't." Really, where were her parents? "Did that hurt?" she continued innocently.

I frowned in confusion. "Did what hurt?"

The girl pointed to my chest where a long scar rested on my skin. "Did it hurt when you got that?"

_Yes, little girl, it did. Worse than any pain you'll probably ever experience in your lifetime._ I sighed. "At the time," I admitted. "But that's okay. I'm fine."

"Oh." She paused, tapping her chin as if she were thinking. "Well, what happened?"

I chuckled. "It's a long story."

"I have time."

She was too cute. I gave her a crooked smile. "I'll tell you what," I said. "I'll return to Port Royal ten years from now. Then I'll tell you all you need to know."

The girl twisted her eyebrows in confusion. "Ten years? That's a long time." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How will I know you'll keep your promise?"

I paused to think about it before I slowly lifted the necklace I've had around my neck ever since I was a blacksmith-turned-pirate. I don't know how it lasted nearly 300 years, but it did, and I was willing to give it up. "Here," I said, handing it to her. "Keep it. That's my promise to you that in ten years I will come back."

The girl took it from my hand hesitantly before pulling it over her head and tucked it in her hot pink bathing suit. "Okay," she agreed. "Don't forget."

I smiled, briefly glancing at the sunset that warned me to return to the _Dutchmen_. "I won't," I promised. "I won't."

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**Author's Note:** So this is my first attempt at writing a POTC fan fiction. I published it because SaveroftheMoon made me, so we'll see how this goes. Besides, there's a first time for everything, right? *waits for rotten tomatoes to be thrown* Also, I'm not sure about the title. I might rename it later on once I think of a better one, but right now, this little story is going to be called Heartbeat. So... Review? Please?


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** I actually had the originally Chapter 1 already written and posted on my LiveJournal, but I was reading it over again and realized I didn't like my last half of it at all. I deleted the last half and tried to think of something better. It hit me when I was in the shower, so I wrote it down once I had the chance. The only thing is I wrote it kind of late (and it's still late at night as I'm writing this now). My apologies for any grammar/spelling mistakes or if it sounds a little confusing.

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**Chapter 1 – Elizabeth's POV**

_Ten Years Later_

I believe the necklace brought me back to Port Royal. Really, I didn't know who gave it to me. I just remember that I was playing by myself at the beach in the typical neon-colored swimsuit when a man caught me singing the song my mother taught me when I was a little girl. We chatted—I don't remember what about—before he told me he had to leave. Being the nine-year-old I was, I didn't want him to go; I wanted to hear his story. He gave me the necklace I wore around my neck everyday for the past ten years and promised to return.

For some reason, I always thought that he would come back the next year and the year after that. Every time I waited I ended up being disappointed and trudging the walk back to my parents' summer cottage from the beach. Every year when my family returned to Port Royal, I would dash to the beach in hopes to see him.

I never did.

I gave up looking for him the year my mother died from cancer and my father and I decided to spend our summer vacations in Europe outside of London, where we lived. I kept the necklace, however. I stashed it in a ring box and in the drawer I hid my journal in. I used to wear it until the piece of leather that held the pendent was getting so worn to the point that I was afraid of it falling apart on me. I suppose I could've replaced it with a sturdy material, such as jewelry chain, but I never did.

The decision to return to Port Royal didn't happen until I was cleaning out my drawers to find room for some new clothes I bought. I accidentally dropped the box on the floor. Curious, I opened it and rediscovered the necklace. Suddenly, the memories of those chocolate brown eyes of the man who gave me the necklace in the first place came back to me, and I felt the urge to go back to Port Royal one last time.

Daddy, however, wasn't thrilled with the idea.

"The only place we have out there is your mother's cottage," Daddy had protested. "I'm not going to send a cleaning crew to clean the place so you can live in it for a few months."

"Then I'll clean it," I had pleaded.

"I'm not going to let you go back there only to be bored after a week. Besides, I thought it was too painful for you to go back there."

"Daddy."

I put on my best princess, I'm-your-little-girl pout. In the end, I got a flight to the Caribbean with a supply of cleaning products waiting for me at the front step of the Swann cottage.

Now, hooking the necklace around my neck, I strolled through the familiar sandy beach with the same rocks I used to climb and play on as a little girl. The people still in town before the start of school didn't pay me any attention as they were either packing to leave or waiting with loved ones to catch the sun set.

_The sun set,_ I decided. _Mind as well celebrate my moving in with the sun set._

Flip-flops abandoned at the bottom, I climbed the biggest rock I could without trying to kill myself, almost desperate to see the last few minutes of the sun sinking into the orange horizon in front of me. I was just in time too, for as soon as I sat down at the top, the sun lowered deeper down and a sudden flash of green came and went before I could blink.

One of my favourite memories of my mother was the time she told me the significance of the flash of green. She told me that it was a sign that the dead was returning from the ends of the world or going back, but it was so rare to see that you were considered a lucky person if you did. She said she only saw it once her life, six years before her death.

I bit my lip and tilted my head, almost not believing that I actually saw it. A stupid grin appeared on my face when I realized I wasn't hallucinating. I considered it a sign from my mother that everything was going to turn out alright in my life, but for some reason, the flash of green left me with a feeling that I was now complete.

-----

My idea of spending my evenings is fixing a cup of tea, popping in a good chick flick, and curling up on the couch while I sobbed at the heartbreaking scenes of the lovers featured in the film. My new neighbor's idea of spending my evenings is greeting me at the front door, making me change into some mini dress she thought was to die for, and dragging me off to one of Port Royal's most popular clubs.

Yay for me.

It wasn't that I hated my neighbor. Actually, I found Katie Brookes to be one of the nicest girls I ever knew and fun to be around. In fact, she chattered with me as if we were old friends when I first moved in my family's cottage and even helped me unpack my stack of cardboard boxes before we pigged out on ice cream and pizza that night. She lived with her boyfriend right next door to me. I only had to be around them once and then we were fast friends. No, it most definitely wasn't that I hated my neighbor.

It was the fact that Katie figured that due to the fact I never had a boyfriend nor have been kissed, I needed to at least meet _someone_ at a club.

I sighed, wincing at the sight of people making out and drinking beer after beer, as Katie practically dragged me and her boyfriend, Matthew, to a table on the sides of the dance floor. I really didn't want to see people rubbing up against each other as they (attempted) to dance, but Katie insisted that being near the dance floor (and the bar) was a great way to meet a guy. I didn't believe her, but to each their own.

"Your girlfriend is crazy," I shouted to Matthew above the booming music while Katie skipped off to get us some drinks, bright colored lights jumping all around us.

Matthew grinned. "I know," he yelled back. "That's why I'm dating her."

I rolled my eyes and scanned the room thick with people, desperately trying to find a way of escaping. I spotted the bathroom, but before I could even stand up from my stool, Katie slammed three bottles of beer on the center of the table.

Damn it.

"Don't even think about it," Katie warned me as if she knew what I was planning to do. "I want you to loosen up first before you even _think_ about leaving this building."

"I wasn't planning on it," I replied innocently.

She rolled her baby blue eyes, grabbing a beer for herself. "And I'm the queen of England."

I sighed and reluctantly took one of the two bottles remaining. "If I behave, do I get to leave early?"

"Maybe."

"Pretty please?"

"Maybe."

I groaned and gave up.

As it turned out, Katie was right, I was wrong, and I ended up dancing with the people whom I thought needed to get a life or get a room. I drank more than I probably should've since the most alcohol I ever had was at my cousin's wedding last year. I gave out my number at least a dozen times (I lost count after I drank my third beer and my second apple martini of the evening), and I was too drunk to care who was going to call and who wasn't.

"You were right," I giggled, setting down my martini glass. "I just need to _relax_."

Katie grinned stupidly at me and tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. "See, I told you," she squealed. "The music helped, didn't it?!"

I giggled again when my favorite song of the week ("Shut Up and Let Me Go" by The Ting Tings) started playing through the loud speakers. "Maybe a little."

_Shut up and let me go, this hurt, I tell you so  
For the last time you will kiss my lips,  
Now shut up and let me go  
Your jeans were once so clean  
I bet you changed your wardrobe since we met_

Katie pulled me back out on the dance floor and shook her hips, sending looks to Matthew to convince him to join us and the new song playing. I let them dance together and let whoever was behind me join me in my movements.

_Now oh so easily you're over me, gone is love  
It's you that ought to be holding me  
I'm not containable  
This turns up, it's not sustainable_

I turned to meet my dancing partner only to be greeted by a pair of chocolate brown eyes, giving me a rush of déjà vu. The man smiled a little, opening his mouth to speak. "I hope you don't mind me joining you," he said, slurring his words a little.

I shrugged. "Not at all."

_I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
Shut up and let me go, hey_

We danced through the chorus before the (sexy, if I may add) man led me off of the checkered dance floor. "Wanna drink?" he asked politely.

"Apple martini?"

"Coming right up."

_Shut up and let me go, this hurts but I can't show  
For the last time you had me  
Now shut up and let me go  
For fear of leaving regret  
I changed this one when we first met_

_Now oh so easily you're over me, gone is love  
It's me that ought to be moving on  
You're not adorable  
I was something ignorable_

I had seen movies where people end up getting drunk and start tripping over everything in their way. I swore to myself that it was going to happen to me, and I knew that tonight would be the night it would happen since I was clearly drunk and was wearing high heels three inches tall.

Except fate had other ideas.

When my temporary dance partner (I had yet to know his name) came back with our drinks, he tripped over some other guy and stuck out his hands to stop his fall only to hit his head on the corner of our table. While he crashed to the floor, I gasped and bent down to check him for bumps and bruises or any sign of blood.

_I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
Shut up and let me go, hey_

_Oh love, hold this, hey_

"Shit, are you okay?" I asked, tenderly feeling the back of his head.

The man looked up at me as if in a daze and he didn't know where he was. My stomach filled with dread at the thought of him having a concussion and needing to drive him (or stick him in a cab with a bunch of cash to pay for the trip) to the hospital. I prayed to God that I didn't have to deal with that.

_Shut up and let me go, this hurts I told you so  
For the last time you will kiss my lips_

He squinted his eyes, trying desperately to get a clear view of my face. "Victoria," he slurred.

Wait… Who?

_Now shut up and let me go  
Hey!_

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**Author's Note:** Okay, so I'm only fifteen and obviously don't drink or go to clubs, so if anything sounds inaccurate about clubs or drinking, my apologies. I checked online to see what the drinking age is in Jamaica since Elizabeth is nineteen, and the drinking age is eighteen, but if that's wrong... Well, the drinking age is now eighteen. XD Nah, just kidding. Let me know and I'll fix it once I get around to it. And if you're confused, hopefully the next chapter will clear some things up. Oh, and in case you're wondering why I picked "Shut Up and Let Me Go" as one of the songs played it's because it's been stuck in my head all week and I kind of like it. Sorry if you don't. Anywhoo (as I end this long AN), I appreciate everyone who reviewed and signed up for alerts for this story! I LOVE YOU GUYS LOTS!

Review?


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** I had a hard time writing this chapter for some reason. I had some writer's block until last night. My apologies in advance if this chapter sucks. Also it's very important to read the author's note at the end of this chapter. It's going to explain some things that are going on over the next couple of weeks.

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**Chapter 2 – Will's POV**

It all started with Calypso (aka Tia Dalma) waking me up from the little sleep I get as captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ and telling me I was set free. On the positive side, I was able to go on land for more than one day after two hundred and eighty years. On the negative side, I received my new heart in a painful matter all while Tia Dalma "suggested" we perform one intimate activity together before I leave.

Yeah, right.

Jack Sparrow, who had found the Fountain of Youth a few years after my first decade on the _Dutchman_, was waiting for me once I stepped on the beach. He took me to his cramped apartment, let me borrow some of his clothes for the evening (which smelled like rum, if I may add), and insisted that we celebrate the freedom I had so proudly told him about. And how were we going to celebrate? Why, going to one of Port Royal's most popular clubs, of course!

Lucky me.

Actually, it wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the bright colored lights dancing around the room, the music was something I wasn't used to and sounded annoying, and Jack's intention of bringing me to a club was to find myself a girl now that I didn't have to serve my duty as captain of the _Flying Dutchman_. If you ignored the people making out throughout the room or rubbing against each other on the dance floor, it was a pretty pleasant place to be in compared to the few times I've been in Tortuga and the other bars Jack made me go to these past few decades.

"Let loose, mate!" Jack exclaimed, slamming down his (third) rum bottle. "We got all night!"

I rolled my eyes and leaned on the bar counter behind me, folding my arms across my chest. "I'd rather sleep all night," I said bluntly.

"See, this is why Victoria left you," Jack slurred. "You can't _r-e-l-a-x_."

I tightened my jaw. "There are many reasons why Victoria left me," I said coolly. "That's not one of them."

"If you say so."

I grabbed the bottle in Jack's hand and drank it before he could protest. I drank it until it was empty and when I finally handed the bottle back to him, his face was lit up so much that he looked like it was Christmas morning or something.

"You've finally got it, whelp! Took you long enough."

I didn't bother to retort. Instead, I turned to the bartender, suddenly feeling the need for more alcohol, and pointed at Jack. "Give me whatever he's having."

-----

Two rums, a beer, and a shot later, I lost track of Jack (not that I cared where he went) and was more relaxed than I have felt since my one-day honeymoon. The music I had once thought was ridiculous now sounded catchy and gave me the urge to dance away, which I did without hesitation.

_Shut up and let me go, this hurt, I tell you so  
For the last time you will kiss my lips,  
Now shut up and let me go  
Your jeans were once so clean  
I bet you changed your wardrobe since we met_

I picked to dance with a petite girl in a black mini-dress who was dancing alone and swaying her hips to the beat of the music. I moved with her, watching the club lights skip around on her smooth skin. I didn't know if it was my emotions or the alcohol, but my eyes studied her slim body until I had it memorized.

_Now oh so easily you're over me, gone is love  
It's you that ought to be holding me  
I'm not containable  
This turns up, it's not sustainable_

The girl turned to face me. She tilted her head to one side as if she recognized me, but she didn't say anything. I smiled a little and called above the music, "I hope you don't mind me joining you."

She shrugged. "Not at all."

_I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
Shut up and let me go, hey_

Eventually, I led her off the black-and-white checkered dance floor. The girl willingly followed me to an abandoned table. Remember the little manners I had left of this evening, I politely asked her if she wanted a drink.

The girl pondered for a moment. "Apple martini?"

"Coming right up."

_Shut up and let me go, this hurts but I can't show  
For the last time you had me  
Now shut up and let me go  
For fear of leaving regret  
I changed this one when we first met_

_Now oh so easily you're over me, gone is love  
It's me that ought to be moving on  
You're not adorable  
I was something ignorable_

I should've known I had way too much to drink. When I walked back to our table with our drinks, I tripped over another half-drunk guy. I closed my eyes, sticking my hands out and bracing myself for the fall. I hit my head on the corner of the table and landed on the floor. The girl gasped and knelt down beside me, poking and prodding me in order to check for any injuries I may have gotten.

"Shit, are you okay?" she asked.

_I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this  
Shut up and let me go, hey_

_Oh love, hold this, hey_

_Shut up and let me go, this hurts I told you so  
For the last time you will kiss my lips_

Everything got fuzzy from there. I blinked and tried to clear my vision, looking up at the face hovering over me. The face reminded me so much of the green-eyed ex-wife of mine oh-so long ago. I swore it was her. It had to be. "Victoria?" I mumbled.

_Now shut up and let me go  
Hey!_

"Excuse me?"

Okay, so maybe it was a bad idea for me to state her name. I blame the alcohol.

"Who the hell is Victoria?" the girl demanded.

"Doesn't matter."

She snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "It certainly does if I end up being caught in the middle of an affair."

I shook my head and sat up, pressing my palm on my forehead in attempt to stop the throbbing in my head. "I don't have a girlfriend," I said flatly. "I haven't had a relationship with a girl in ages, but if you want to track down Victoria, I wish you luck."

The girl sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. "I'm sorry," she said softly. I could barely hear her over the music. "I'm just…not very good with the relationship business, I guess."

"Bad boyfriends?"

She smiled weakly and shook her head. "No, actually, I've never had a boyfriend."

My eyebrows shot up. "You've never had a boyfriend?"

She nodded. "Never been kissed and never been on a date."

I blinked in surprise. "Well, why not?" I asked. "I don't mean to be nosy, but you look like the type of girl who's had at least one past relationship."

The girl shrugged and helped me off the floor. "My father is rich," she explained. "I mean, _rich_. I've had crushes in the past, but I gave up on them once I learned the only reason why guys are interested in me is because of my father's money. I just figured that if I was going to be used like that, then there's no point in me trying to date a guy."

"Oh." I honestly didn't know what to say.

"Hey, I'm only nineteen. I have plenty of time to start dating when I'm ready." The girl studied me before sticking out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Swann, by the way."

I grinned and shook it politely. "I'm William Turner."

"Nice to meet you." Elizabeth tucked a strand of her hand behind her ear, glancing past me. "I should probably go," she muttered. "My friends are waiting for me."

I hid my disappointment. "Oh."

Elizabeth paused and turned toward the table, scribbling something on a napkin someone left. "Here," she said, handing me the napkin and tossing a pen back in her purse. "If you want to call or text me sometime, there's my number."

I looked down at the numbers written out neat handwriting. I made a mental note to learn how to use a phone and met her eyes again. "Thanks," I said. "I'll, um, call you sometime. When the time arises, I mean."

Elizabeth nodded and waved. "I'll see you around," she said, walking swiftly over to who I assumed were her friends.

"Goodbye." I smiled a little. "Elizabeth."

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**IMPORTANT!** As some of you know, I've been given the opportunity to travel to Europe and tour Italy and Greece this summer. That means this might be the last update for a while unless I write Chapter 3 today or tomorrow. **I will be gone June 18 to June 30.** My flight leaves California bright and early seven in the morning, but I have to be at the airport by four. So by the time most of you are awake and looking to see if I updated on the 18th, I'll be in the air on my way to New Jersey for my first stop before I head to Rome. If I think of an idea for this story while I'm gone, well, sucks for you. XD Nah, I'm just kidding. I'll just have to remember it until I get back. :P In the meantime, well, erm, you could always re-read this six times. Or read the reviews. I have a story on FictionPress you could always read. Hey, you're writers, right? You can always update your stories...

Anywhoo, review?


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** WHOOT!! So I'm back from my trip to Italy and Greece. It was absolutely AMAZING and so BEAUTIFUL! And the water in Greece? I have never seen anything so blue or so clear before in my entire life. I mean, seriously, I would stick my feet in the water and still see them. Crazy, huh? Anyway, I wrote this chapter early this morning because I know you all are dying for another update. It's kind of short, though, and I'm not too proud of how the ending of this chapter went, but I hope it satisfies you. :]

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**Chapter 3 – Elizabeth's POV**

I hate Katie. I hate her and her stupid ideas with her stupid boyfriend who agreed with her. Because of them, I had a fucking headache and a damn hangover on the DAY I WAS SUPPOSE TO WORK. So while I stood behind the counter and rang up purchases of both men and women all while I wanted to hide in the bathroom and throw up, I blamed it all on Katie Brookes.

_Technically_, it was also my fault. I mean, I _did_ agree to go with her and Matthew to the club and I _did_ drink a few beers and a handful of apple martinis here and there. I was pretty sure that Will Turner was real, too, because he was the first thing I remembered when I woke up this morning.

Actually, it was his eyes that I remembered first before I recalled all of him. Those chocolate brown eyes were so familiar that it gave me a rush of déjà vu. I felt like I met him before—years ago—but I never got to know his name until last night. Of course, I scolded myself for being so pathetic and the idea dropped, but that's beyond the point.

"This is all, I think."

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to see the same pair of eyes I had seen the night before. Honestly, I never expected to see Will Turner only hours after meeting at the club, so I couldn't help it; I had my doubts that it was even him.

"Will?"

He blinked and gave me a crooked smile. "We meet again, Miss Swann," he said politely, pushing a pile of clothing over to me to scan.

Of course it was him; he gave me that damn crooked smile the night before. That and I had realized he was too much of a gentleman despite the fact he had consumed just as much alcohol as I had. But while I loved that he was giving me respect and being polite, I couldn't help but feel annoyed. "I wish you wouldn't call me Miss Swann. I've heard enough of it back home."

"Well, I don't know you properly to call you by your Christian name."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the first article of clothing off the pile and scanning its price tag. "So what's it going to take to call me Elizabeth?" I asked sarcastically. "A date?"

Will shifted his weight a little, fiddling with a plastic card in his hand. "I'm not—"

"I was being sarcastic, Will," I interrupted, scanning the rest of the clothes waiting to be purchased. "I'm not expecting you to ask me out or anything. I told you I didn't date last night. Or did the alcohol make you forget?"

Will looked at me seriously. "I remember, Miss Swann."

I sighed and glanced at his total. "$236.74," I murmured. "How will you be paying?" Will silently handed me a credit card bearing the name Jack Sparrow. I quirked an eyebrow and glanced up at him. "So what is your real name? Will Turner or Jack Sparrow?"

Will blushed. "It's my roommate's," he explained quickly. "I, erm, don't own one of those things…"

"A credit card?"

"Right, a credit card. So Jack just offered to pay for new clothes for me. He was just too hung-over to come with me to pay for everything."

"Great friend, right?" I said dryly, bagging his clothes.

Will shrugged. "He may not sound like the best friend to have, but I've known him forever. He's actually done a lot for me, so I suppose I should forgive him for his lack of presence at this moment."

"I suppose you should." I handed him his receipt and had him sign the store's copy. He signed it with a flourish, and I stared at his signature. It looked like one of those signatures from the eighteenth century. I didn't know whether I should be jealous that he has such a nice signature or if I should think he was living in the wrong era or something. I blinked and looked back up, handing him his bag of clothing. "Well, you're all set. Have a nice day."

He took the bag from me hesitantly, eyeing me. "I'm still holding my promise to call you," Will remarked.

I nodded. "Call me when you can."

Will smiled a little, his eyes catching sight of the necklace I had gotten from that stranger oh-so long ago. He frowned slightly and met my eyes again. "Where did you get that necklace?" he asked numbly.

I glanced down self-consciously and fingered the pendent. "I got it about ten years ago," I answered truthfully. A man gave it to me, but he never told me his name."

Will nodded, staring at the pendent in my hand. "It's…unique."

I suddenly felt defensive about it. "Well, the guy certainly must've cared about it. It was wearing out when I got it. I'm surprised it's still surviving now."

"I'm sorry," Will stammered, his eyes widening. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just—"

"No, I'm sorry," I interrupted again. "I just… I've been trying to figure out for years who gave me the necklace. I mean, he promised to return, but I don't know who to look for. I don't even know if he's going to return, but yet I still feel like this freaking necklace has some importance in my life, you know?" I snorted, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Pretty stupid, huh? Some guy gives me a necklace and I think I couldn't live without it."

Will was silent for a moment, and I was afraid he thought I was crazy and wanted to avoid me. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, his tone was quiet and soft, making me think that he actually cared what I thought about the necklace. "No," he answered. "It's not stupid. I thought the exact same thing years ago. Only, it was life giving me someone special. I thought I couldn't live without her."

I leaned forward on the counter, looking at him gently. "What happened?"

He forced a smile. "A story for another time, eh?"

"Of course." I straightened up. "There's plenty of time for that." I studied him. "Call me, okay? You like you want to talk about something."

"I told you I would, didn't I?"

"That you did."

Will gave me another one of his crooked smiles. "Then I will." He bowed slightly, politely. "Have a good day, Miss Swann."

I watched him leave the store before I muttered, "It's Elizabeth," and smiled sweetly at the old lady who had been impatiently waiting behind Will.

-----

I should've known that Katie saw me with Will at the club. I should've known that meant she would be waiting on the steps of my beach cottage, demanding details ranging from his name and when our date was going to be. I rolled my eyes and answered her questions ("He's name is Will Turner." "I only gave him my number, Katie. He hasn't called yet!") all while we pigged out on cookie dough ice cream and watched one of our favourite chick flicks.

"So he promised to call but he hasn't?" Katie asked, spooning some ice cream from her carton.

"It's been less than twenty-four hours since I gave him my phone number," I pointed out. "Not only that, but I saw him four hours ago. The least I could do is give the guy a break and let him call when he wants to."

"Yeah, but he might never call," Katie protested. "Then you'll never go out with him and never marry him or have kids with him. You'll die an old maid!"

I stared at her. "You know, last time I checked, women who live their lives single aren't considered old maids," I said. "And who said I was getting married to the guy anyway?"

"Well, you never know," Katie said as we ignored the romantic scene from the movie play out in front of us. I gave her a weird look. "What? It could happen!"

"I'm nineteen."

"And I first met Matthew when I was seventeen. We're still dating even after four years!"

I sighed and shoved a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. "You're complaining about me not having a boyfriend when your own beau hasn't even proposed to you yet?"

"We're still finishing college, you know."

"And I'm still young."

Katie threw her hands up, giving up. "You're pathetic," she grumbled. "And stubborn. Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?"

I grinned. "Daddy says I get it from my mum," I said innocently, turning back to the TV screen.

"Then I blame your mother," Katie sighed.

"So you're saying that if my mother hadn't given birth to me, you wouldn't be having this conversation with her stubborn daughter?"

Katie pondered this for a moment. "Now that you mentioned it," she said thoughtfully. "My life would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have to deal with you and your I-don't-date philosophy."

I threw a couch pillow at her, aiming at her head but missing. "Damn it," I muttered as Katie was more than happy to laugh at my throwing skills.

"Do you need to take baseball lessons or something?" Katie asked teasingly.

This time I didn't miss. Then I threw an extra pillow for the heck of it.

Katie squealed and stuck her tongue out at me. "You're pure evil, Elizabeth Swann!"

I winked. Teasingly, I added, "Pirate."

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**Author's Note:** So I didn't get home until July 1 instead of June 30. o.O My plane got delayed in Athens for an hour, but when we got on the plane, we were delayed another TWO HOURS before we flew ten hours to New Jersery. We missed our connecting flight, so we had to stay overnight at a hotel. Then we flew from New Jersery to Houston to California and made it home around 5:30 pm Pacific time zone. On top of that, one of the guys from my group coughed all over us, so me and two of my friends have a cold. Then EVERYONE from my group got bug bites all over our arms and legs from our hotel in Athens that itch and/or hurt like crazy. But desite all that, the trip was fabulous. It was worth passing World History in order to go on the trip (and World History at my school is like an honor's class, but it's not counted as one). Pictures can be found on w w w . k e i r a l i z . w e b s . c o m (without the spaces of course). Just click on Pictures and go to the Italy and Greece album. Sadly, my camera broke in Capri, Italy, so I only have pictures from Rome, Florence, and Capri at the moment. A couple of friends are going to give me more pictures later on, so I'll upload them once I get them.

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	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** So I just got back from Disneyland. Why? I just turned sixteen. XD (And I got my new phone, SaveroftheSun! WHOOT!) I wrote this all today. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. Let me tell you, it was VERY hard to stop once SaveroftheSun PMed me. But we're having the most random conversation on earth and it's too fun not to reply to (WILL SO WINS, SAVER!!), so I found a way to stop writing and answer her... Anyway, enjoy!

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**Chapter 4 – Will's POV**

I hate Jack Sparrow.

No, wait; I take that back. If it weren't for Jack Sparrow, I would've never met Elizabeth Swann. Sure I drank all that alcohol (which I instantly regretted when I woke up this morning), but dancing and talking with Miss Swann was probably the best thing that happened to me since I married Victoria Hamilton. If it weren't for Jack Sparrow, I would've never ran into Miss Swann again at the clothing store I went to get some much needed clothes where she apparently worked out.

And if it weren't for bloody, stupid Jack Sparrow, I would've never seen the necklace I gave away ten years ago that now hung around Miss Swann's neck.

I had forgotten all about that necklace until the moment I saw it on her. The memory of the little girl singing the same pirate song I knew since childhood and demanding to know what caused the scar on my chest flooded, and I recalled giving that necklace to her before I was forced to leave for the _Dutchman_ for another ten years. I had promised to come back in ten years, but I had no idea who the girl was so I forgot about it until the promise wasn't so important anymore.

But apparently Elizabeth was the little girl in that bright pink swimsuit I gave the necklace to.

_No_, I told myself. _She can't be. No necklace that old would've survived that long. Even if it had, she couldn't be the same girl. Maybe it was a gift from a friend_.

I told myself that over and over again, but there was no denying it—Elizabeth was the little girl from ten years ago.

I avoided the subject of Elizabeth Swann for a week. When Jack mentioned seeing me with a girl at the club, I brushed it off, saying it was just some girl trying to get in bed with me. He argued with me about it, insisting he saw what he saw, but I pointed out that he was drunk half the night and probably saw multiple Jacks throughout the night. (Boy, did he deny that one awfully fast?)

After a week of trying to avoid the image and thought of Elizabeth, I gave up. Now I stared at the contraption in my hand they called a telephone, puzzled by the numbers written on the buttons and the other symbols printed on. I had Elizabeth's phone number out in front of me, but I had no clue how to even use a damn phone.

Three hours later, I figured it out.

The first hour consisted of figuring out how to use the computer and reading articles on the history of the phone, what the buttons on the number pad mean, and the different types of phones out there (including a smaller version of a regular telephone—the cell phone). The second hour composed of learning to dial the numbers _properly_ (mental note: dialing the emergency number because you're curious is never a smart thing to do) and realizing that talking in a normal voice still allows the person on the other line to hear you without trouble. Finally, the third hour was spent with me getting the nerve to actually call Elizabeth.

I hesitantly dialed the phone number written on the napkin with the club's logo stamped on right above it, trying to think of what to say to her. Was hello good enough? Or should I explain why I was calling?

"Hello?"

I blinked, startled out of my thoughts, as a soft female voice reached my ears. "Erm, hello?"

The woman on the other end sighed. "Who is this?"

"Uh, it's Will Turner," I stuttered nervously. "Is this, um, Elizabeth Swann?"

"Oh, Will." I heard a laugh. "Yeah, this is Elizabeth. Geez, I thought you would never call."

I felt guilty. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "Just my roommate saw us at the club and was nagging me about it, so I pretended it was nothing so he would get off my back. Then I felt bad that I didn't call you, so…"

"It's alright," Elizabeth interrupted. "My best friend was the same way. Only I had to confess to her because apparently you can't keep secrets from Katie Brookes. But that's beyond the point. How are you? Getting used to Port Royal?"

I shrugged; then, I remembered she couldn't see me. "I guess," I replied. "I haven't been in the town for a…while. It's…changed. I'm getting used to it, though."

"Changed?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Yeah, it sure has changed alright."

I could tell she was being sarcastic. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I came to Port Royal for summer vacations since I was six up until four years ago. I just came back. It hasn't changed at all."

"Oh." Well, I honestly didn't know what to say to that. I hadn't gone in town ten years ago, but from the Port Royal I was used to, the town has most certainly changed. "Then I suppose it's my imagination."

"Maybe." Elizabeth paused for several seconds before she spoke up. "So Will Turner, what's your story?"

I was startled. "Excuse me?"

"Well, on the two occasions I saw you face to face, you looked like you have a story to tell," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly. "In fact, you sound like you still do. So what's your story?"

"Another time," I said weakly, sitting down in a chair.

She snorted. "I believe that's what you told me last time. Am I right?"

She was. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, curly from the shower I had taken in order to calm myself and get the guts to dial her number. "No, you're right," I admitted. "It's just a long and complicated story. Most people think I'm crazy when they hear of it. Or fear me. Whichever comes first?"

"I highly doubt you're crazy, Turner."

I smirked. "Then you'll fear me."

"I'm not scared of you. I mean, it's not like you're Davy Jones or anything like that." I didn't say anything, so Elizabeth continued, "Hey, so do you want to talk or what?"

"I do," I admitted.

"Then let's meet up at a diner or something," Elizabeth suggested. "We can talk there instead of over the phone."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Not unless you are."

I chuckled. I loved her wit. "Already," I agreed. "It's a date then. What time do you want to meet me…wherever we're going?"

"Annie's Diner," Elizabeth informed me. "Actually, it's about three or four blocks away from the club we first met at. You can't miss it, though. The owner believes in yellow and bright colors. I can be ready in about an hour."

I glanced at the clock. "So about six?"

"Works for me."

I smiled. "I'll be there."

-----

Elizabeth was right; you couldn't miss Annie's Diner. The building was painted a bright yellow, and the inside consisted of different shades of whites and yellows and greens. I didn't know how anyone who worked at this place could stand seeing the colors day after day, but the place was definitely cheerful.

I sat awkwardly at the booth I was given, looking at the menu, while I waited for Elizabeth, and when she finally arrived, she practically ran in the restaurant, breathless. She dressed simply, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but by the looks of her damp hair, she obviously took a shower before meeting me here.

"What do you think of this place?" Elizabeth asked after we ordered a couple of drinks.

I shrugged and glanced around the place briefly. "It sure is…cheerful."

She laughed. "Yeah, I know," she said. "Sometimes the waiters complain about the colors, but if Annie's suddenly went to dark, serious colors, I'm pretty sure people would think the world just ended or something." Elizabeth smiled and leaned forward on the table. "At any rate, it has great food and good prices, so I come here when I'm too lazy to eat a decent meal at home."

I smiled. "And how often is that?"

"Two or three times a week."

I laughed. "Really, now?"

"Ask Katie if you don't believe me." Elizabeth paused as our waitress served us our drinks and took our food orders. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. You suggested we come here."

She smirked. "Then I'm afraid, Mr. Turner, we'll have to play Multiple Questions until we find a decent conversation." I looked at her confused, and she rolled her eyes. "You know the game where we ask each other anything? You just answer back and then ask the next question."

I never heard of it. "Multiple Questions it is, then," I agreed.

"You start."

I eyed the necklace she was wearing, the same necklace I saw her wearing the last time I saw her. "How is it that you came upon that necklace?"

Elizabeth looked down, fingering the metal pendant. "I told you before that some guy gave it to me."

"You never gave me details, though."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," Elizabeth said with a sigh, leaning back. "It was ten years ago. I was nine, and my family was ending our summer vacation here at Port Royal. We were going to leave early the next day, so my mother let me go to the beach near our summer cottage to play on the sand one last time before we had to go. I was fooling around mostly. Playing in the sand, throwing rocks… That sort of thing."

I watched her intently.

"My mother taught me this song when I was little," Elizabeth continued. "She told me it was a song that pirates used to sing while out sea, so I thought it would be appropriate if I did. While I was singing it, this man came out of nowhere and sang along with me. I had no idea who he was or why he was there, but he sang with me until I realized I wasn't alone."

Elizabeth smiled softly as she told me her little story. I closed my eyes briefly, recalling every detail of that memory I had forgotten so long ago.

"We talked," Elizabeth muttered, playing with her napkin. "I don't remember what we talked about, but we talked until he had to go, I guess. There was a scar on his chest. I remember I was curious about it and wanted to know more about it, but he didn't tell me. He told me that ten years from then he would come back and tell me all about it. He gave me this necklace as a promise to me. I've kept it ever since."

I studied her. "Do you remember anything about his appearance? Besides the scar, I mean."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Just his eyes," she said. "He had these brown eyes that were… I don't know how to describe them. Handsome is a good word, I suppose." She looked up at me. "Kind of like your eyes," she blurted out.

I stared at her.

"Not that you're him or anything," Elizabeth added quickly. "Your eyes… They just remind me of his."

I nodded and remained silent for a moment. "And you never saw him again?"

"He promised ten years," Elizabeth replied, taking a sip of her Coke. "It's been ten years alright, but I don't expect him to come looking for me. So to answer your question, no, I never saw him again." She gave a short laugh, breaking us away from the serious mood. "Now it's my turn for questions," she insisted. "Like, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three," I answered. "And yourself?"

"Nineteen. Where you're from?"

I paused for a moment. "I don't know," I answered truthfully.

"You don't know?"

"Well, I mean, I was born in London, England and lived there until I was twelve. But then I lived in…a lot of different places."

"London is a good answer. I mean, you were born there."

I smiled. "Then I'm from London, England."

Elizabeth studied me for a moment, allowing the waitress to set our places of food down in front of us, before she finally spoke up again, "So where do you consider home to be if you've lived in so many different places?"

Where did I consider home? The home from my childhood was a two-room apartment above the dress shop my mother worked at. When she had died, my home had been a passenger ship until it was taken over by pirates and burned until I was the only survivor. I had lived with Victoria and her father for a couple of months until Governor Hamilton secured an apprenticeship for me with Mr. Brown at his blacksmith. I then lived in the rooms behind the blacksmith until my pirate years took over. Home was the _Black Pearl_ before I became captain of the _Flying Dutchman_. That was home for the past two or three hundred years. I suppose living in Jack's apartment was now my home.

So where did I consider home?

I looked at Elizabeth, who was patiently waiting for an answer from me. I sighed and picked up a French fry from my plate, twirling it between my fingertips. "I don't know," I admitted.

Elizabeth looked at me with a soft, gentle expression, placing her hand on my arm. "I like to consider that home is where love is."

_Love._ I experienced love. I loved Victoria Hamilton after all. My father loved me as much as I loved him. Jack would never admit it, but we loved each other like brothers. I would do anything for love, but I didn't want to get hurt by it in the end. I didn't know if I could think that being home meant that there was love as well.

I snorted. "Where can I find love, then?"

Elizabeth removed her hand. It was strange; I desperately wanted her to put her hand back. I treasured the warmth she left as she spoke again, "I can't tell you that. I don't know what makes you love something. Only you know that."

I sighed and rubbed the bottom of my neck. "I suppose I do."

Elizabeth grinned. "You'll find it."

I watched her pick up the burger sitting on her plate, taking a careful bite.

_You'll find it._

I may already have.

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**Author's Note:** AHHH!!!! I loved writing this chapter. :] I don't know why. I was just suddenly struck by the emotions Will might be feeling if he and Elizabeth ever discussed home and love and HAD to write it down. So I did and you got yourself a new chapter. YAY YOU!! Anyway, it's ten at night, I still haven't showered, and I have to answer SaveroftheSun's latest PM. Until next time!

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	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be made into a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers! It means a lot to me when I read your reviews or get an email saying that you've favorited this story or put it on your story alert list. I honestly didn't think Heartbeat was going to be as big as of a hit as it is now; I was expecting two or three reviews. Instead, I have 35 reviews. It's not a lot compared to those other wonderful stories out there, but I'm really proud of what I've gotten. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Y'ALL ROCK!

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**Chapter 5 – Elizabeth's POV**

I tried to forget about Will's doubts about love once we parted from the diner and went our separate ways. The expression on his face after I had told him that I thought home was where love is haunted me, and I was suddenly determined to show him what love really was. I became one of his closest friends as the weeks passed, getting to know more and more about him. I scolded myself for caring too much about a man I had only known for a couple of months, but I couldn't help it.

I had developed a little crush on William Turner.

We ended up spending every Sunday (my only day off and eventually his when he got a job) at different restaurants we could afford around town before we would walk around and go out for ice cream. I don't know how many people had commented we were a cute couple or how many times we told them we were just friends. We wanted to talk, and I didn't fret about trying to become his girlfriend instead of the friend with a crush on him; it wasn't my worry. I was pretty sure he felt the same way.

I tried to be honest with my answers no matter how hard the question was for me to answer—especially questions that concerned my mum. He made sure to answer any of my questions, but I didn't know if he was being truthful or not. But I never bothered to press him for details. I never asked him if he was hiding something from me. If he wanted to tell me everything, he would when he was ready.

On this particular Sunday, it was mid-December, but instead of zipping up coats and drinking as many hot drinks as we could, it was eighty-six degrees outside and smoothies was the best thing to drink. Will paid for our drinks before we walked down the beach, trying to find a quiet place that wasn't populated by tourists here for Christmas vacation.

We eventually did, finding the place where I saw the flash of green oh-so many months ago.

"Good spot," Will said in approval, helping me climb up the monster of a rock. "I would've never thought of this."

"I nearly forgot about this," I admitted. I spread my arms out, the Styrofoam cup containing my smoothie remaining in my hand. "This is where I met that guy and got the infamous necklace I wear all the time."

Will smiled a little as he looked around. I could've sworn I saw a look of recognition flash in his eyes, but I knew I had to be wrong. He sat down on top of the rock we settled on, taking a sip of his own smoothie. "It's beautiful here," he said finally. "I'm surprised people don't come here."

"It's rather secluded, isn't it?" I agreed. "I like it this way, though. I wouldn't know what to do if this area was populated."

"Call up your father and tell him to buy the property," Will teased. "That's what you would do."

I laughed. "And be one of those people who use to barbed wire and 'No Trespassing' signs to keep others out?"

"Sure, why not?" Will chuckled and lay on his back despite the fact it was rough and rocky. "Build a house and decorated the wire with flowers or something."

I smacked his arm. "I already have a house."

"Don't rich people have more than one house anyway?"

"Not if their daughter works at a clothing store six days a week and lives in the family's old vacation cottage."

Will rolled his eyes, sitting back up. "Sounds better than the dinky apartment I live in."

"It's probably not that bad." I had never seen his apartment just like he has never seen my cottage.

"Blacksmiths—er, welders—don't make that much money, Elizabeth. I can barely afford the one I live in now."

Will had gotten a job as a welder in town. He called it blacksmithing for reasons I didn't know. Apparently he had no degree or certificate that he was trained in working with metal, but when his boss was so impressed with how Will worked with metal that he hired him on the spot. Will loved his job, but he complained time to time about his pay as his boss had a tendency to leave out a few dollars here and there whenever it was time to hand over the paycheck for the week. Will talked of creating his own business one day, and I could see him doing that; it was just a matter of him being brave enough to begin his newly found dream.

I sighed and fingered the end of my braid draped over my shoulder, changing the subject. "So what do you see yourself ten years from now? Besides having your own business, I mean."

Will shrugged and looked at me. "Maybe away from this place," he answered. "I like Port Royal and all, but I'd like to live in London again." He tore his gaze away from me and out toward the horizon, watching the water. "I want to be happy, I guess. Maybe be married with a couple of kids running around." He mumbled something incoherent, but I didn't bother to ask him to repeat it clearly. "What about you?"

I looked down at my lap. "Married, hopefully," I replied. "I mean, Katie likes to tease me that I'll never find myself a man. I would like kids. As for my career, I've never seen myself doing anything. If anything, I want to be a stay-at-home mum. Take care of the kids and the house, you know?"

"So you've never been to college?"

"I have," I said. "For about a year. Then I moved here. I might finish just to have a degree in case anything happens."

Will nodded. "Where would you like to live?"

"I don't know." I winked. "I think home is where love is, remember?" He grinned. "Just don't ask me to marry a military man or someone who likes to move a lot. I would probably divorce him or something."

Will laughed. "Would you really?"

"Well, no, but I hate the thought of moving around a lot—especially with kids."

Will nodded in agreement. "I would hate to do that to my kids too."

I laid on my back like Will had done earlier, not minding the pebbles below me and the rough surface we were on. My eyes drifted from the blue sky to where he was watching me intently. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Just…" He hesitated. "Has anyone told you just how beautiful you are?" he suddenly blurted out.

I blinked. "Not unless they want something from my father."

Will's fingertips gently brushed a strand of my hair off of my forehead. I shivered, trying so hard not to blush. "And if I were to tell you that you are?"

"I would ask what you want from Daddy," I joked, my voice cracking a little.

Will gave me a crooked smile. "I still think you're beautiful."

I shyly met his eyes. "Then kiss me."

He leaned over me, pressing his forehead against mine. "Gladly to oblige, Miss Swann."

-----

That kiss was the bloody reason why I was standing in my bedroom with clothes thrown everywhere and my bathrobe wrapped snuggly around my body—all because the kiss led to Will asking me out to a date. Not one of the usual Sunday lunches we had every week, but a real live, honest-to-goodness date.

My first date.

I was freaking out.

I sighed and reluctantly reached for the cell phone hidden under a tank top and a skirt, slowly dialing the familiar numbers belonging to Katie's phone number. I hated having to call my best friend to practically say that she was right and finding a guy at a club wasn't a bad idea before asking for help to find something to wear. She would probably scream and drop all her wedding plans (Matthew had _finally_ proposed to her in October) just to rush over and stuff me in a dress or whatever people wore to dates these days.

"Hello?"

Here it goes. "Hi, Katie," I said sweetly.

"Oh, Lizzy!" Katie sounded relieved. "Do you know anything about cooking Christmas dinners for your future in-laws?"

"Not really," I replied weakly. "But that's not why I called…"

"I mean, it's probably my fault that I invited Matthew's parents over so they could escape New York's weather and celebrate Christmas with us and all, but I don't—"

"I have a date," I said in the mist of her ranting about her lack of skills in cooking a turkey.

"Should I also include cranberry sauce? Or is that too—" Katie paused as if she realized what I just said. She burst into laughter. "I'm sorry. I just thought that Ms. I-don't-date said she had a date."

"I do."

Katie squealed—loudly. I held the phone away from my ear as she shouted for Matthew to screw looking up Christmas dinner recipes on the Internet; I officially got a real life. I didn't know whether to be offended or pleased with her comment. "Oh my gosh," she gushed. "A real date? With a _guy_?!"

I'm never going to tell Katie about my dating life ever again. "Yes, a real date," I answered dully. "With a guy. Did you think I was lesbian or something?"

"That's not the point, dear Elizabeth," Katie said cheerfully. "The point is that you have a date and I want details. So who's the guy?"

"Will."

"The guy from the club?"

"That's the one."

Katie squealed again. "Good choice, Lizzy! I didn't know you had it in you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"So what happened? Like, how did he ask you out?"

"We were just talking at the beach. He told me I looked beautiful, and I asked him to kiss me."

"How romantic," Katie swooned.

"Yeah, yeah." I glanced at the little alarm clock resting on my nightstand. "That's great and all, but our date's tonight, I still haven't gotten dressed, and he's going to be here in twenty minutes. I don't know what to do."

"Did you at least shower?"

"Yes."

"Good." I heard Katie mumble something—probably to her fiancé—before she turned her attention back on me. "I'll be there in five minutes. Don't you dare try to dress yourself or pick something out; I'll shoot you if I have to."

"Yes, ma'am," I mocked.

True to her word, Katie was over in five minutes. She clucked her tongue at the sight of the mess in my room and put away most of my clothes in their proper places in only two minutes. By the time she was done, three outfits were spread out for me to choose. Apparently satisfied with what was left, she turned back to me, studying my figure.

"We have time," Katie decided. I frowned in confusion but didn't speak. "Do you know where he's taking you out to eat?"

"No."

"Okay, then, so we don't want anything too casual or too fancy. Something in between."

I wrinkled my nose. "Will that even work? I mean, what if he takes me to a diner or something?"

Katie rolled her eyes and put away the silky black number laid out on my bed. "I highly doubt Will is that cheap and would take you there on your first date." She tapped her chin as if in thought before thrusting a royal blue sundress. "Wear this."

I blinked and stared at it. "Is this even appropriate to wear for a first date?"

"Of course!" Katie shoved me into the bathroom. "Now hurry up and get dressed. I still have to work on your hair."

Man, she was a lifesaver.

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**Author's Note:** FINALLY! I've been dying to write Will and Elizabeth's first kiss, and this chapter seemed to be the perfect one to write it. I found Elizabeth's dress online when I was looking for a mental image of a blue sundress that she would be wearing on her first date. I'll post it up later on my website or on my profile, but I'll let you know when I finally do. Will's POV will be their first date I'm thinking, but if you want to read about it in Elizabeth's POV, I might make a one-shot of it later on. Let me know what you think.

Review?


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a week. I actually started writing this chapter after I posted Chapter 5, but then I got distracted and kept pulling it off until two days ago. Then I got writer's block until tonight. To top it all off, my grandparents have been visiting from Florida this past week. I love them and all, but they're leaving tomorrow, which means PRIVACY and more time to write. (And my sister and I get our bathroom back, but that's a different story.) Hopefully I'll get to write more once they leave and get a new chapter up in less than a week, but we'll see. Anywhoo, **SaveroftheSun**, see if you can spot an inside joke in here. If not, well, then I don't know you... JUST KIDDING! LOVE YOU, DARCY! (If I can call you that, haha... I'm going to call you that anyway. XD)

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**Chapter 6 – Will's POV**

I wasn't _going_ to tell her she was beautiful. It seemed too bold. But that was the problem—she _was_ beautiful. Maybe that's why I let myself to blurt out that she was beautiful. Maybe that's why I kissed her when she asked me to. Maybe that's why I didn't want to see her go back to her cottage without asking her to dinner tonight, not as my friend, but as my date.

Well, even if she wasn't beautiful, that kiss and my asking her out on a date certainly explained why I was flipping through the phonebook to fine a nice restaurant that I could afford without having to take Elizabeth to a cheap restaurant on her first date (and working as a blacksmith—er, welder—proved my search to be harder than I had hoped).

Oh, geez, this was her first date.

Crap.

I moaned and banged my head on the kitchen counter of my tiny apartment. The last first date I went on was with Victoria, and all we did was walk on the beach because I couldn't cook and there was no way in hell that I was going to take the governor's daughter to a pub for dinner. But now I was living in 2005 where my job, although not terrific, is better than my job in 1722. I was taking out a girl who had never been kissed until me, who had never had a boyfriend, and who had never been on a date before until I asked her out. I wanted to make it special for her; I didn't want to screw it up.

"Come on, Will," I muttered. "This isn't so hard. Just pick one. She'll like whatever you decided on."

I closed my eyes and randomly tapped on an ad, peeking to see what my final pick was—an Italian restaurant that had recently opened. I could afford that.

Satisfied with my decision, I turned on my heel and headed for the bathroom, whistling a random tune.

-----

"So where are we going?"

I watched in amusement as Elizabeth peered out the window of the taxi I had hired to take us from her cottage to our restaurant for the evening. Ever since I picked her up, she had forgotten her nervousness from when I gave her a single, pink rose that she now clutched and replaced it with excitement, begging me every five minutes to know where it was exactly we were going. I had simply told her earlier that it was a surprise and made the point of keeping it that way by telling our driver our destination through a piece of paper with the address scribbled on it. She had pouted, of course, until she chattered away about something to do with cranberry sauce.

Elizabeth turned away from her window. Apparently she gave up trying to figure out the location on her own. "Please tell me it's not a diner," she begged. "'Cause otherwise Katie made me wear a dress and high heels for nothing."

I looked at the blue dress she was wearing and the silver heels strapped to her feet. I snapped my fingers mockingly, pretending she caught me in the act. "Darn," I sighed teasingly. "You caught me. I'm taking you to Annie's."

"William Turner!"

I chuckled and leaned over, gently pressing my lips on her cheek. "I wouldn't have dressed up a little myself if I was going to take you to a diner," I muttered, gesturing to the dress pants and button-down shirt I wore. "Besides, while I may be poor, I'm not that cheap."

Elizabeth blushed and looked down at her lap. "That's what Katie said."

"You believe her now, huh?"

"I guess so."

The taxi slowed to a stop in front of Il Paesaggio, the Italian restaurant I had randomly picked from the phonebook. The place was quaint and relaxing with people chattering away and waiters bustling around with trays or menus. Despite the fact that Il Paesaggio had opened less than a month ago, it wasn't has packed as I thought it was going to be. That I was relieved of.

Elizabeth seemed to be pleased with my selection as she climbed out of the taxi. "I've been meaning to try this place out," she said brightly, keeping her eyes on the painted sign bearing the name of the restaurant. "I just never got around to it."

"Good," I said. "Then I'm hoping you'll have fun trying out the menu as much as I will."

"I bet I will." Elizabeth took my hand and dragged me outside, her eyes wide with excitement. "I wonder what their desserts are like."

I rolled my eyes and requested a table for two to the hostess. I had discovered that Elizabeth had a bit of a sweet tooth after she got made that I ate the last of the brownie we shared during one of our Sunday lunches and ordered another one and ate it—all of it. I made sure to leave the last bite for her after that. "I'm sure they're fabulous," I answered.

"They better be."

"And if they aren't?"

"Then you owe me a brownie."

"Haven't you gotten over that yet?"

Elizabeth snorted. "No," she replied. "You ate the last bite."

"I didn't know you wanted the last bite," I protested.

"I thought it was obvious."

I sighed and gave up, falling silent, as the hostess led us to our table and handed us our menus, briefly telling us our server will be right with us. I opened up the menu in front of me, thumbing to the dessert section. "Oh, look. Seven desserts for your pleasure, ranging from ice cream to cheesecake."

"Then you're in luck," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "Now you won't have to pay for my brownie."

"Yay me," I said sarcastically.

Elizabeth smiled innocently before hiding her face behind her menu.

-----

"So not only did I not get to the top of the tree, but I broke my arm. On the plus side, my cast had hundreds of signatures all over so that white thing they give you didn't look so terrible, but it was on my right arm."

"What's so bad about that?"

"I'm right-handed."

I laughed as Elizabeth dramatically finished telling me the story of the time she had attempted to climb a tree in the rain and fell off when she was fourteen. I didn't know why she even did it, but I was afraid to ask. Who knew with that woman? "So what did you do during the time that cast was on?" I asked. "Hired someone to write for you?"

"No, but my mum had to translate my writing when it got too horrible." Elizabeth leaned forward on the table a little, dropping her fork on the plate of pasta she ordered. "So tell me, Mr. Turner," she said seriously. "What were your injuries like? Don't include those you got from welding, though. Those don't count."

My smile faltered. What was I going to tell her? "Oh, yeah, my father whipped me while I was a prisoner on the _Flying Dutchman_ because he didn't want Davy Jones to do it himself. I have scars and everything, but it's okay. No big deal." That would most certainly cause her to run away and yelling to everyone to lock me up somewhere. Or even better, I could always tell her the time I was stabbed in the heart and got it taken out (by my father, but that's not the point) and stuffed into a box for nearly three-hundred years until the curse was mysteriously broken. That's a winner alright.

Elizabeth was patiently waiting for my answer. I had to lie; I had no other choice. "Just blacksmithing accidents," I replied finally.

She looked at me skeptically. "No broken bones?" she asked.

"No broken bones."

Elizabeth studied me for a moment, her eyes staring at my face. "Then how'd you get that scar on your forehead?"

I had forgotten about that. Self-consciously I reached up and rubbed it, the memories of Isla Cruces flooding in. Jack just had to bloody hit me with an oar. I sighed and focused my attention back on Elizabeth. "I…hit my head on a shelf," I lied. "I did one of those stupid maneuvers to pick something up off the floor and instead get hit on something that's obviously there."

Elizabeth grinned in amusement. "What was on the floor?" she asked curiously. "A quarter or something?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Something along that line."

"I don't know whether to make fun of you or scold you for not seeing that shelf."

"Both would suffice."

"I'll do that, then," Elizabeth promised teasingly.

-----

We left the restaurant directly after paying the bill and finishing our desserts. I had thought about taking Elizabeth back home, but I wasn't ready for the date to end. Not just yet. Instead, I took her hand politely and walked her down to the beach. Touching sand, we kicked our shoes off and carried them as we strolled along the shore, enjoying each other's company.

"This was just perfect," Elizabeth remarked with a sigh, lacing her fingers through mine.

"Was it?" I asked. "I was hoping for that." I looked at her, feeling slightly shy. "I wanted to make this date, you know…special."

"I can assure you that it was," Elizabeth replied. "I mean, I honestly never thought how my first date was going to turn out, not even when you asked me to dinner. But, well…" She trailed off and gazed at me, her expression soft. "Thank you," she continued finally. "Tonight _was_ special. I loved it and enjoyed every minute of it."

I squeezed her hand gently. "Then I suppose you won't mind another date next weekend."

Elizabeth giggled. "Not at all."

"Great!" I thought for a moment. "Saturday night fine?"

"I have nothing planned."

"Great. How does seven o'clock sound?"

"I'll be ready."

"Great," I muttered.

She just laughed.

-----

I asked our taxi driver to drop her off at her cottage before I gave him the address of my apartment building. Tossing him the cash, I quickly excited the car and bounded up the stairs without bothering to check to see if the elevator was in working order or not. Once I let myself in my apartment, I flopped on my worn couch and replayed tonight's events in my head and let the image of Elizabeth and what she was wearing flash before me.

Suddenly I realized that she hadn't worn that necklace like she usually did. I groaned and clutched the bridge of my nose. I didn't know how I was going to tell her I was the one who gave it to her so many years ago and that I was the one who promised to come back and tell her my story. I didn't even know if she was going to believe me or laugh in my face and tell me to get some therapy. Jack told me I shouldn't tell her, that I should just keep it a secret, but I felt like I needed to. I needed to know if she could believe something as bizarre as me being captain of the _Flying Dutchman_.

I lied on my back, staring at the stained ceiling above me.

What was I going to do?

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**Author's Note:** Special thanks also to **callieandjack** for asking me if I was going to update any time soon while we were PMing each other. She got me motivated again. Thanks to **Goddess-Divine-05** (aka my sister) for letting me make her watch a scene from DMC on YouTube so I could be sure the scar on Will's forehead actually did come from being hit in the head with an oar by Jack while at Isla Cruces. (And if you guys didn't know that, then go watch the movie again. :P Either that or my sister and I really are nerds and happen to notice that Will has a scar on his forehead while watching AWE...) Also, thanks to **SaverofSun** for having a random conversation with me so I could put an inside joke in this chapter. XD (Oh, and if you didn't see it, Darcy, re-read our conversation all the way back to Will's rant on how his life sucks. Then re-read this chapter. :P Still can't find it? Oh, well... *scoots to the left* HAHA! JUST KIDDING! Will wins, by the way. Or do we win now?)

Also, some of you have been asking when Elizabeth is going to find out that Will gave her the necklace. She will SOON. What I'm hoping to do is to write a couple of chapters or so about their new relationship with both of their POVs and thoughts and feelings about it before Elizabeth finds anything out about the necklace and Will's story. I already know just how exactly she's going to find everything out; it's just a matter of getting a couple of chapters posted and writing the moment of truth out. No worries, though. SHE WILL FIND OUT. Otherwise this story would get nowhere and y'all would get bored. I'm not that cruel. ;]

Whew, that was a long author's note. I'm going to shut up now.

Review?


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** FINALLY!! Be grateful you have this update. I was up until midnight writing everything except the last part, which I wrote this morning. I did a lot of editing on this chapter. In fact, I rewrote two parts at the last minute. I hope you like the end results. :] **SaveroftheSun**, I put in an inside joke for you to enjoy. ;] See if you can find it this time!

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**Chapter 7 – Elizabeth's POV**

I became Will's girlfriend after four dates with him. It had been his birthday when he asked me to go steady with him. The plan was I was going to go to his apartment and make dinner for him and have a mini birthday celebration with him except I had arrived to his apartment only to be handed an orchid and being asked if I would be his girlfriend.

Will was the best thing that happened in my life.

We were best friends as well as each other's partner. We told each other more and more secrets about each other and told more about ourselves. I trusted him just as much he trusted me. I'll admit there were times when I felt like Will was hiding something from me whenever I asked him something and he would hesitate and stumble over his words, but I never doubted him. I figured he would tell me when he was ready, just as I always had thought.

As we continued dating, I was worried about how I was going to tell my father about him. I knew Daddy would want to meet him, but how I was going to do that, I wasn't so sure. That problem was solved, however, when Daddy called me a few weeks after Will and I became more serious. Daddy wanted to come visit me for my birthday in March, and I immediately mentioned I was dating someone and wanted him to meet my boyfriend. Daddy of course launched into I-must-protect-my-daughter mode and asked every possible question about Will and our relationship ("Yes, Daddy, of course I'm still a virgin." "No, I'm not pregnant! I just told you I was a virgin!"), but he agreed (reluctantly) to meet his little girl's boyfriend.

Making plans for my father's visit was easy and went without problems, but that's because I haven't even told Will about it yet. I mean, I _was_ going to tell him over dinner one night. I really was. I just forgot about it until two weeks before Daddy's plane was scheduled to come in.

"So basically the father hates the guy?" Will asked, twisting his eyebrows in slight confusion, as we watched a movie on the TV in my living room.

I spooned ice cream from the carton in my hands, nodding. "Basically, yeah," I replied. "That's the whole point, I think."

Will blinked and stared at the TV screen. "Is this reality?"

I laughed and shook my head. Will had never seen a movie before until we started dating, and he was so adorable when he was trying to make sense of some of the movies. "No," I replied. "This movie is just a comedy. Well, I mean, I guess there are some fathers out there who hate their daughter's boyfriends, but what's some of the stuff going on in the movie is not that all realistic."

Will nodded. "I've been there," he remarked.

"How so?" I asked, twisting my body on the couch to face him.

"Well, the father of the last girl I was with disliked me," Will answered. "I mean, I don't think he would say in my face or in front of his daughter or anything, but I knew. _She_ even knew." He shrugged and ate a chip from the giant bag on the coffee table in front of us. "No offense or anything, but I'm kind of glad your father is in London. It means I don't have to meet him anytime soon and explain why a poor welder is dating his rich daughter."

I bit my lower lip and picked at a cookie dough chunk in the ice cream I was eating. "Well…"

Will's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

"Daddy might've called a couple of months ago and asked visit this month," I said slowly.

Will groaned. "Is that why you're making me watch this movie?"

"Maybe."

"Lizzy!"

I winced. "It won't be that bad," I protested. "Daddy probably doesn't care that we're dating as long as you don't hurt me. He just wants to meet you."

"He's probably going to end up hating me," Will protested. "He's going to know that I earn minimum wage at some damn welding shop while dating his daughter. I've been there before, Lizzy. He's going to pretend he approves but then goes to you behind my back and tells you that you can do better."

I sighed. "Okay, he _might_ do that."

"Ha! I knew it."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, would you rather have sex with an untreated broken arm or meet my father?"

Will paused for a moment. I knew he was considering the options I sarcastically gave him; it was kind of obvious. "Actually, sex with an untreated broken arm sounds pretty good right now."

"Will!"

"Well, it does," Will pouted.

I pointed my spoon at him. "You're going to behave while he's here."

"Yes, ma'am," Will mocked.

"I'll talk to him before you meet him. If it really concerns you, I'll make sure he's nice. Who knows? You might end up liking him."

"Don't I get any say in this?" Will asked.

"No," I replied immediately. "Only because you've met my friends and soon my father while I haven't met this Jack person you keep talking about whenever the subject arises."

Will's face brightened up. "I can introduce you to Jack this weekend."

"Great."

"Does this mean I can get out of meeting your father?" he asked hopefully.

I smirked and took a bite of my ice cream. "No."

"Damn."

-----

Just as Will promised, I got to meet Jack Sparrow that weekend. The three of us met up at Annie's Diner on Saturday for our lunch breaks. Beforehand, Will had given me plenty of warnings about Jack so I wouldn't, as Will claimed, freak out and run away from the man. They varied from how Jack drank too much rum to how he had the tendency to talk to himself when the situation arose. Will also made the point to tell me that Jack worked at some boat rental shop because he couldn't keep away from the sea, but seeing that we lived in a town that was right next to the water, I didn't think it was a big deal while Will apparently did. All in all, I wasn't too worried about meeting Jack. After all, it couldn't be _that_ bad.

Could it?

I learned to take Will's warnings about Jack Sparrow seriously once I entered Annie's and made my way over to the table the two men had claimed. I didn't think about the warnings until I heard Jack's first words to me: "You must be the whelp's bonny lass."

I frowned in confusion, looking from Jack to Will. "The whelp's bonny lass?" I repeated.

Will rolled his eyes, twirling his straw around his glass of soda. "I warned you," he reminded. "Jack has some nicknames for me he hasn't quite given up since… Well, since I've first met him."

Jack smirked. "Because they fit you," he said cheerfully. He turned to look at me seriously. "Did you know that Will here is, in fact, a eunuch?"

Will groaned and buried his face in his hands as I rubbed his back sympathetically. "I rather doubt that, Mr. Sparrow," I said politely.

"Just call me Jack," the man said, waving his hand. "Or captain. Either or."

I arched an eyebrow and glanced over at Will, who was still keen to hiding his face from me and Jack. "I'm not going to ask," I muttered.

"What?" Jack asked in surprise. "Will hasn't told you?"

"That you drink too much rum?" I retorted.

"Ouch. I'm hurt."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure you'll live," I said matter-of-factly.

Jack grinned. "I like her, mate," he said. "Better than Victoria."

"I thought you liked Victoria," Will remarked.

"Yes, but this one is a keeper!"

I eyed Jack warily. "'This one' has a name," I pointed out.

"Forgive Will's manners, then, luv." Jack pretended to think. "Don't tell me that your name is Victoria as well!"

I sighed. "No," I replied. "It's Elizabeth. Elizabeth Swann."

"Nice to meet you, Lizzy."

I looked back at Will, who shook his head. "He automatically called Victoria Vicky," he said. "You'll have to get used to his…habits."

"I suppose I'll have to," I said with a small smile, handing Will my purse to set down next to him. "Now if you'll excuse me for a moment, gentlemen, I'm going to make a trip to the bathroom. Order me something to drink, will you, Will?"

Will nodded. "Of course."

I turned on my heel to leave, but of course not without overhearing what Jack had to say about my relationship with Will: "Mate, you're whipped."

-----

I spent ten minutes in the restroom before I got the courage to march out of the room and go back to join Will and Jack for lunch. As I was approaching our table, I noticed the two men were in a deep conversation. A step closer told me it looked like they were arguing and didn't even notice that I was coming towards them. I paused, not sure if I should go back to the bathroom and let them finish or to stay put.

"You need to bloody tell her, whelp!"

I voted for the latter.

"That's the thing, Jack," Will argued. "I _can't_. If I tell, she's never going to believe and probably throw me in the nut house or something. It's better off as a secret."

"So what are you going to do when she starts figuring it out for herself, huh?" Jack demanded. "Make up a lie? Knock her to unconsciousness until she loses her memory?"

"Of course not!"

"I'm not stupid, Will. If you even think that something like that is going to stay hidden from her, boy, are you wrong."

Will began to look tense. "Then what do you want me to tell her?" he snapped. He's tone changed to mocking and sarcastic. "'I love that necklace you wear all the time, Lizzy. By the way, remember the story you told me about it? Yeah, that man was me. I just never told you this before because you'd never believe me.' Brilliant plan, Sparrow."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I took another step forward, speaking up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I stared at Will, pointing my thumb at Jack. "What the hell is he talking about?"

Will's dark eyes were wide. "Well, I…"

"You gave me the necklace?" I demanded. "You fucking sat there and listened to me as I told you I didn't know who the man was when it was you all along?" Will had the nerve to just stare at me without a word. "You lied about everything," I accused.

"No, I—"

"Yes, you did," I interrupted.

"How so?"

"You lied about your age, for one thing. Twenty-four, Will? You would've had to be fourteen ten years ago if you were telling me the truth."

When Will didn't say anything, I snatched my purse and left the diner angrily. I shouldered my purse roughly and didn't bother to stop when I heard Will calling my name. I picked up my pace, wanting to get away from him. My plan failed, however, when I felt his hand around my wrist, pulling me back. "What?" I spat.

"Lizzy, please," Will begged. "Can't we talk about this?"

"About what?" I snapped.

"About what happened back there."

I folded my arms across my chest, glaring at me. "Fine," I said flatly. "Then tell me why you didn't tell me the truth in the first place."

"I didn't tell you the truth because I was afraid of losing you!" Will exclaimed. "I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't."

"So who are you really, Will?" I asked bitterly. "I want an honest answer."

Will's shoulders slumped. "I can't tell you, Elizabeth," he whispered. "You'll never believe me, and I don't want to lose you."

"Too late for that."

Will's eyes met mine. "What are you saying, Lizzy?"

"It's Miss Swann," I said icily. "We're through, Mr. Turner."

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**Author's Note:** *le gasp* Their first fight! A breakup! OH, THE HORROR! Okay, I lied. I said that she wasn't going to find out anything about the necklace until later on, but once I started writing this, I knew that she had to find out in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, though!

Review?


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Truth is I got a little lazy, but after writing this chapter last night and today, I'm hoping it's going to be worth the wait. Big shout out to **SaveroftheSun** (aka Darcy) for asking me when I was going to update. Her reward for nagging me is *drum roll* *le gasp* TWO INSIDE JOKES!!!!! YAY YOU, DARCY!!!!!

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**Chapter 8 – Will's POV**

She broke up with me. I thought it wouldn't hurt. I mean, after all, Victoria betrayed me and married another man, something Elizabeth would never do. But it did. It hurt to know Elizabeth didn't trust me. It hurt to hear her correct me by saying her name was Miss Swann and to hear her call me Mr. Turner. It hurt knowing she broke up with me and I lost the only woman I could actually trust to be in a relationship with.

I screwed up. Big time.

I was going to tell her the truth eventually. I really was. I mean, she was my _girlfriend_. I knew I couldn't hide the fact I was the one who gave her the necklace very long. The plan, however, wasn't to tell her before her father's visit; it certainly wasn't to tell her while she was eavesdropping on my argument with Jack. Elizabeth found out anyway and couldn't trust me anymore.

Jack thought the whole thing was ridiculous. He told me over and over again to man up and go talk to Lizzy, but I knew her long enough to know that she was going to blow up at me if I even tried to explain things to her.

I buried myself in work. I was the first one at the shop and the last one to leave. Blacksmithing (or welding or whatever you want to call it) allowed me to think only about the metal and never anything else. At work I could forget about Elizabeth and our break up. I could forget about the fight before the break up and her not wanting to trust me. Work, I figured, was an excellent source of therapy when you're trying to forget about someone. After all, it worked most of the time when I was still captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ and trying to forget about Victoria Hamilton and her betrayal to me.

For two weeks I did nothing but work. I would only talk to my co-workers and my boss. Jack called a couple of times, but I let him speak to my voicemail and ignored him. I probably should've let him talk to _me_, though, because Jack had decided to pay me a visit at work one day when I was supposed to have the day off.

"Oh, now, this is pathetic, mate."

I sighed and faced him. "What's pathetic?" I asked, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about.

Jack gave me a look and gestured randomly around my work space. "I haven't seen you this pathetic since…well, a really long time." He arched an eyebrow, pointing at me with his index finger. "It's that damn girl again, isn't it?"

I dropped my gaze to the floor. "She's not a damn girl," I mumbled. "She's a beautiful, smart, stubborn girl."

"You're hopeless."

"So sue me."

"Someone's in a mood."

I groaned and sat down in a chair, burying my face in my hands. "I should've told her, Jack. I should've told her, but I didn't. She found out by eavesdropping in our argument and now she's lost all trust in me and _broke up with me_. I'll be in a mood if I want to."

Jack rolled his eyes. "So talk to her."

"It's not that easy."

"Sure it is. All you do is pick up the phone—"

"I get that part," I interrupted. "What I mean is that Elizabeth isn't the type of girl who's going to beg me to come back the instant she picks up the phone. She's going to want answers and the truth. We probably won't even get back in a relationship for a while after that. Maybe never." I ran a hand through my hair before looking back at Jack. "You know, I thought it hurt when Victoria betrayed me. This thing with Elizabeth is killing me."

Jack suddenly grinned as if he came to a conclusion. "So looks like someone found someone else to love."

I snorted and drank from the water bottle I had with me. "Well, whoever it was, it certainly wasn't me." Jack just stared at me, probably waiting for me to babble on until I made a confession. I wasn't about to do that. "Must be you, then," I continued. "Who's the girl?"

"I'm not seeing anyone nor do I intend to fall in love anytime soon," Jack retorted. "I'm talking about you, mate."

"I told you," I argued. "I'm not in love with anyone."

"I bet you are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Prove it."

"It's a girl," Jack said seriously. "I believe her name is Elizabeth Swann."

I laughed. I actually _laughed_. "No, Jack," I disagreed. "I know for a fact that I was her first boyfriend until our break up two weeks ago. There is no way in hell she's already dating again, much less in love with someone else."

"Stupid whelp," I heard Jack grumble under his breath. At least, I _think_ he was trying to say it under his breath. Either way I was ready to strangle him at that point. "What I'm trying to say is that _you_, William Turner, are in love with _her_, Elizabeth Swann."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "How long did you mope around when Victoria betrayed you two to three hundred years ago, hmm?" he asked. I just stared at him. "Now according to me calendar, it's been two weeks since you and Lizzy ended your relationship. _Two weeks_. And look at you. You've done nothing but work and hang out with your co-workers and boss. If you don't love her, go ahead and tell me right now."

I stood there, wide-eyed. Damn. I mean, I didn't think that Jack had to be an idiot all the time, but he's never lectured me about my love life. Taking a shaky breath, I nodded and slowly sat down, burying my face in my hands.

I didn't know how long I sat there and thought it through, but when I looked up, Jack was still waiting for my answer. I was tempted to lie. I was tempted to bolt and run. But I couldn't. If I lied, Jack would bug me until I told him the truth. If I ran, Jack would just chase me while yelling something that didn't make sense loud enough for the world to hear.

"Well?" Jack asked patiently, leaning on a wall.

"I love her, Jack."

-----

I slammed down my sixth bottle of beer on the table I was sitting at with Jack. Or was it my eighth? I lost count after my third.

Jack made me go back to the club where I met Elizabeth a second time after work, saying that rum was the best way to forget about what had happened at the shop earlier. (Not that I thought rum was the only way or anything, which is why I let Jack buy the rum while I resorted to beer.) Needless to say, I was drunk and suddenly very interested in a peanut left all alone.

Poor thing.

"So I say to her that…" Jack frowned and tapped his chin. "Well, damn. I forgot. What did I say?"

I blinked and made up an answer, something I knew was totally unrelated to what he was talking about. Did I care? Not really. "Something about Barbossa's mom thinking he's cool?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jack started laughing for some reason. "Did you know he gives free hugs?"

Well, that was awkward to hear. "Sure," I lied. "He, erm, gave me one before."

"Me too!" Jack kept laughing after that. I was sober enough to know that he was beyond drunk and I probably should just ditch him, but someone had to make sure he didn't go into the wrong apartment and walk in on an old lady in the shower—again. (Don't ask how he did. I really don't know either.)

"Well, shit," a man suddenly said near Jack and me. "That man looks pissed."

Curious, I glanced over to where the man was looking at. I could see what he was talking about. An older man had walked into the club, scanning the room like he knew why he was there and who he needed to see. He wore a business suit, which I didn't know why seeing as everyone else was wearing jeans or whatnot. And he looked _pissed_. The newcomer glared down at a picture he was holding in his hand before storming toward someone near my direction.

Oh, shit. He _was_ coming to _me_.

My eyes grew wide as the man confronted me. "Are you William Turner?" he asked gruffly.

I had a feeling that if I lied now, I wasn't going to see tomorrow. "Um, yes?"

"Don't answer me with a question, boy."

I cleared my throat, realizing Jack had (finally) shut up and was staring at us. "Yes, sir, I am."

The man grabbed me by the back of my shirt (and I thought that only happened in movies) and practically dragged me toward the exit of the club. People stared at us, and I'm sure that if they hadn't been terrified of the look on the man's face they would've been laughing their butts off at the whole situation.

He didn't let go until we were outside and away from the crowd. He turned to face me, his furious gaze not leaving. "Do you think that I was going to let you go out and hurt her the way you did?" he demanded.

What the hell was he talking about? I voiced that.

"I think you know who I am."

"No, sir," I said politely despite the amount of alcohol I drank earlier. "I don't."

The man crossed his arms. "I'm Elizabeth's father," he said evenly. "Weatherby Swann."

Well, shit.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry if Will is a little OOC and is in the "woe is me" mode. Hey, you can't blame the guy. He broke up with Lizzy! (Or Lizzy broke up with him. Either one.) Oh, and Weatherby seems a little bit "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR BREAKING UP WITH MY BABY GIRL!!!!" I'm sure you caught that. That will be explained a little in the next chapter, but knowing that the governor hated Will a little in the movies (okay, maybe more than a little), it kind of fit that he would get pissed off at Will for lying about his past to his little girl (aka Lizzy).

**IMPORTANT!** Okay, so a couple of you know I start school August 17 (this coming Monday). And as callieandjack knows, my school is academic. No, I don't mean I-get-two-hours-of-homework academic. Seriously, I got two hours of homework for _just_ World History last year. WORLD HISTORY, PEOPLE!!! _That's_ how academic is my school. I thought I'd show you my schedule for this year.

Mondays, Wednesdays: Religion 3, Spanish 2, PE Girls, Ceramics  
Tuesdays, Thursdays: Algebra 2, US Histroy, Chemistry, English 3  
Fridays: All classes (except for labs and choir)

On top of that, I have women's choir on Mondays and Tuesdays, Chemistry Lab on Thursdays, and community service hours after school until about 4:30 four days a week. I also live an hour away from my school, so I have to get up at 5:45 every morning, leave the house by 6:30 to be at school by 7:30, school starts at eight, I get picked up between five and 5:30, get home between six and 6:30 (sometimes seven if I get picked up late), eat dinner, shower, and homework until eleven or 11:30 at night, and finally get to bed. Fridays I get home early (around four or 4:30), but when I get home, I like to be lazy since I don't do weekend homework until Sundays.

"But wait, keiraliz!" says you. "There's this wonderful thing called a STUDY HALL!"

GUESS WHAT, Y'ALL?!?! I don't get a study hall this year. -.- So my offically writing days will be **Saturdays** after church and Sabbath lunch. If I finish a chapter the same day I start writing it, then I'll update. Sundays are taken up by homework and studying and chores, but I'll write if I have time to. Why am I giving you this freakishly long author's note? I don't want you guys to freak out if I don't update for two or three weeks at time. **I am not abandoning this story.** Heartbeat is too much fun to write, so I'm not going to abandon it and leave you hanging.

Sorry for this long note, by the way. I'm going to tape my mouth shut now. So, um...

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	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** Sheesh, it's been, what? Two weeks since I updated? I'm SO sorry about that. The first week of school was really overwhelming and exhausting. I did update my FictionPress that weekend, but by the time I was getting around to updating this story, I just wanted more sleep. So here's another chapter for y'all. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 9 – Elizabeth's POV**

I was numb. Numb as if I had chained someone to the mast of a sinking ship to escape from danger. Numb as if I had never told anyone that I killed someone on purpose until the victim came back to life and told everyone himself. Except I wasn't numb from killing _someone_; I was numb from killing my _relationship_ with Will Turner.

He lied to me, yes. He didn't tell me that he was the one who gave me the necklace or tell me about his true past. I knew I had every right to feel upset by it and break up with him because of mistrust, but how did I miss him! I missed the way he looked when he was confused about a movie or how to work a piece of technology. I missed how he would be a gentleman and open doors for me. I missed how he would always make sure no one was looking before kissing me in public. I missed how his face lit up like a little boy's whenever he was excited or whenever he found something he liked. I missed seeing his hair curl when it got wet.

Was I pathetic or what?

I tried not to mope around and slip into an episode of Woe Is Me. I did a good job of it when I was at work, but once I was alone, I spent hours watching chick flicks and pigging out on ice cream. There was no hiding my moping when I was around Katie, either. She insisted I needed to get out again and find another guy. She claimed there were others out there waiting for me. After all, she said, I was nineteen and young. I had plenty of time.

"Okay," Katie said, flopping down at one end of my couch with a notepad in her hands. "We're going to go out tonight. I'll make a list, and we'll find a guy that meets your expectations."

I looked at my best friend skeptically, nibbling on an Oreo. "It's been two weeks since my breakup," I pointed out.

"So?" Katie said. "I met Matthew one week after breaking up with my last boyfriend. Now look where we are."

"It took him four years to pop the question."

She waved her hand. "We're not talking about me. We're talking about you." She uncapped her pen. "Now, what's the first thing you look for in a guy?"

"Dark eyes," I muttered, stuffing my mouth with another cookie. "Preferably brown."

Katie scribbled that down. "Alright, then what?"

"Gentlemanly, signature like he's from the eighteenth century, hair that curls when wet, confused when watching movies and working with technology," I rambled. "Oh, and has a crazy friend. You know, a friend that probably drinks too much rum or alcohol?" She only stared at me. "What?"

Katie sighed and tore out the paper she was writing on. She wrote something else down and held it up for me to see.

"'You love him,'" I read. I frowned. "I don't get it."

"Look, Liz," Katie said, twisting her body to face me. "I've been dating, engaged, and planning a wedding long enough to know a thing or two about love. You can't name one single thing that you want in a guy that doesn't have anything to do with Will."

"That's not true," I protested.

"Oh, yeah? Then tell me here and now that you don't love him and don't want him back."

I fell silent. Will and I have been only dating a few months. Surely I couldn't be in love with him! But I missed him. I didn't want to go out to find another guy because I didn't _want_ to. The only guy I wanted now was the one I dumped. I didn't know how he felt about me now, but I knew he was desperate not to lose me the day I announced we were through. Did he love me?

I sighed and threw my hands up in the air. "Alright, alright," I confessed, "I want him back." Katie waited, a satisfied smile forming from her lips. "And I love him."

"So does that make you feel any better?" Katie asked eagerly. "Maybe you'll be able to feel upbeat and join in on a bachelorette party in a week?"

"Not at all," I replied, reaching for another cookie.

"You're pathetic."

I twisted apart an Oreo. "I've spent the past two weeks watching _Titanic_ and _The Notebook_," I muttered. "I'm more than pathetic."

"Okay, then, you're a woman wading in her own self pity with no rescue coming your way."

I scowled. "Bitch."

Katie grinned. "Love you too."

-----

I waited with other loved ones and whatnot at the baggage claim, scanning my eyes to find the familiar face of my father. His plane had been delayed, so I had been standing around for over an hour waiting for him. I really hated waiting for a flight arriving late at night. It wouldn't be so bad if I had Katie with me. Heck, even having Will with me would be nice…

_Stop it_, I scolded myself. _You promised you wouldn't think about him today._

I shook my head and focused back on finding Daddy. Ten minutes later, I successfully found him and was more than happy to rush over to him and give him a hug.

"My, my," Daddy said in amusement, returning my bear hug. "I thought you left London to get away from me, Lizzy dear."

I grinned sheepishly and kissed his cheek. "That doesn't mean that I didn't miss you," I said.

"Good to hear that I still play an important role in your life, Lizzy."

I took his luggage from him and lead him to my car as he chatted away about the latest news in London. Most of it I've read from reading the British tabloids I bought every so often, but I let him talk. After all, the Swann family _was_ wealthy and invited to so many events that my father probably said more of the truth than the paparazzi would.

When we reached the cottage, Daddy fell silent, obviously remembering the vacations he had with me and my mother. I looked over at him and patted his hand. "You okay?"

My father forced a smile and nodded. "So memories we made here," he said. "I haven't been here since, well, your mother died. It's nice to see that it looks the same. You've did a fine job with the house."

I chuckled. "You haven't seen the inside," I said. "I mean, I cleaned it up before you came, but I don't clean as much as I should."

"Oh, it's quite alright."

Daddy got out of the car. I followed suit, helping him with the luggage, before going up to the front door and letting us in. He looked around while I made the point to put away his things in the guest bedroom, glad I remembered to prepare the room the night before. I joined him in the living room again and watched him look through the family pictures and pictures of Mum I still had out. Daddy picked one up of Mum playing with me on the beach, us building a sandcastle.

"You look like her now," Daddy remarked, running his thumb over her face.

I managed a soft smile. "That's what you tell me."

"Well, it's true." He sighed. "I was blessed with two beautiful girls in my life. Now I only have one left. Then I'm going to lose you too, when you get married."

"I'll still be here, Daddy," I reminded. "It won't matter if I'm married or not. I'll still be your daughter."

"Of course." My father set down the picture and looked back at me. "Speaking of which, where is this young man you told me about? I need to play my fatherly role and meet this fellow."

I bit my lip and shifted my weight uncomfortably. "Um, we kind of broke up."

Daddy narrowed his eyes a little. "You what?"

Maybe I shouldn't have told him. "We broke up," I repeated. "He had, well, lied about a couple of things. I got upset, so I dumped him. We're not dating anymore."

"What did he lie about?"

I snorted. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I hardly believe it myself."

"But he did lie to you."

"Yes, Daddy, he did."

Daddy tightened his jaw. "What does he look like?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"What does he look like?"

I sighed and rummaged through a drawer I had stuffed pictures and momentums of my relationship with Will. I didn't have the heart to throw them out, so I put it away until I could decide what to do with them. I never did get that far. Pulling out a picture of us at the beach, I had a feeling he was about to go off and hunt Will down. "You're not going to kill him, are you?" I asked, handing over the picture to my father.

"Of course not," Daddy grumbled, staring down at the picture. "Where did you meet him?"

"At this club. Impulse, I think it's called."

"Think he's there now?"

Knowing Jack Sparrow… "Maybe."

"Good." Daddy took the car keys I had tossed on the coffee table. "Because no one hurts my little girl and gets away with it."

Oh, boy.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Aw, gotta love dads, right? :P Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm updating on a Monday night. (Well, Tuesday morning for most of you.) First of all, this past Friday, school was cancelled due to bad plumbing. I started writing the first paragraph of this chapter before I got lazy and didn't write anymore. (Bad, keiraliz, bad!) If you live in the United States, you may or may not have heard about the wildfires going on in Southern California. Well, guess where I live? DING, DING, DING!!! That's right, kids! Southern California. Well, guess where my school is located?! DING, DING, DING (again)!!! That's right, folks! NEAR THE FIRES!!!! *le gasp* So school was cancelled today and tomorrow due to the fires and the air quality down there. My family is safe, but remember, I live an hour away from my school, so the environment is totally different here than where my school is. I have friends who live near the fires, but from what I hear, they're all doing okay. :] So don't worry about us; we're fine. Just keep us and the rest of Southern California in your prayers! We really need them!

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	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** Oh my goodness, I haven't updated in forever! I'm so, so, so sorry about that. I blame school. Am I the only one hates school despite the fact it's the beginning of the school year, or are y'all feeling the same way right about now? Anywhoo, sorry for this suckish of a chapter; I didn't know how I wanted this chapter ago. It's a little bit shorter than the others, but I needed Elizabeth's POV to kick in at the end of this chapter.

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**Chapter 10 – Will's POV**

I had been afraid of Governor Hamilton. I worked hard to be respected by him and the rest of his social class, but no matter what I did, Governor Hamilton hated me and I was terrified of him. I knew he could always rip away me from Victoria, so I was always the one of my relationship with his daughter to make sure we did nothing but behave properly.

But compared to Weatherby Swann, Governor Hamilton was a mild fear. Mr. Swann _terrified_ me. The way he glared at me made it perfectly clear that if the two of us were to get into a fight, I would most definitely lose. By lose, I mean I would be dead. Heck, being stabbed in the heart looked mild compared to what Mr. Swann might do to me.

I swallowed and awkwardly stood there. What was I going to do? Tell him the entire truth or the mild details of what happened between Elizabeth and me?

"I know you lied to her," Mr. Swann said bluntly. Well, there goes my plan to tell him the vague details of why Elizabeth and I broke up. "I don't know _why_ you lied to her, but I know you do. Quite frankly, I could care less about what you lied to her about. It's none of my business. For all I know, it could be something personal between the two of you, and I'm not about to demand to know what that is."

I blinked and stared at the older man. "Then why are you here?" I asked.

"Because, Mr. Turner, I hate admitting this, but you're the first male figure that my daughter has ever held interest you. You could say that she loves you. Of all the men I tried to get her to date and form a relationship with, Elizabeth didn't want anything to do with them. _You_, however, show up at a bloody club the same night she does and end up being the one she wants to be with most."

Elizabeth loved me? No, she couldn't have. "Elizabeth doesn't love me," I said bitterly.

"Oh, I believe she does." Mr. Swann studied me. "So do you." I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off. "I don't care if you want to deny it or not, lad. But I was a husband once. I know love when I see it." He sighed and eyed me carefully. "I may not approve of what you have done, but I know you're a good man. I do expect to hear of an apology to my daughter, however."

I nodded silently. After a moment of thinking of what he just told me, I finally spoke up again, "Yes, sir." I swallowed and shifted my weight. "I… I'll find a way to apologize to Elizabeth, sir."

"Good." Mr. Swann clapped my shoulder, nodding his head in a formal manner. "Have a good evening, Mr. Turner."

I simply stared after him as he walked away. I stood there for a moment, thinking over our conversation, before I decided I _was_ going to apologize. I numbly walked toward my apartment, not bothering to call for a taxi, making plans for when I was going to see Elizabeth face-to-face again.

-----

I bought her a dozen pink roses, remembering that I had given her a single pink rose for our first date. I made dinner reservations at an expensive restaurant that I was probably going to regret once I saw the bill. I dressed in the same clothes I wore on our first date. I didn't care what people were going to think when they see me march into the bookstore (Elizabeth got fed up with "bitches demanding for overpriced jeans" and started working a local bookstore since she was a bit of a book nerd and could get discounts on something she actually _wanted_ to buy) and beg for forgiveness and explanations.

I was going to tell her that I loved her.

The bookstore was a little too quiet for my liking at the moment, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wasn't helping my nerves. I scanned the aisles and aisles of books in search for Elizabeth, clutching the roses tightly. I ignored the other workers asking me if I needed any help, for I feared if I started talking to one of them, I would babble like an idiot and confess everything that happened to me the past two or three hundred years.

And then I spotted her.

Elizabeth was in the middle of putting away a new shipment of classics. She looked absolutely beautiful from my point of view. Her black polo shirt bearing the store's name and logo fit her slim figure perfectly with her jeans. Her honey-coloured hair pulled back into a messy bun. I secretly laughed at the name tag that was pinned to her right jean pocket, knowing that she knew it wasn't supposed to be there. She was the same Elizabeth I remembered, and I missed her so.

Taking a deep breath, I found the courage to walk over and clear my throat. "Miss Swann," I said with upmost respect and politeness. "May I speak to you?"

Elizabeth turned, her brown eyes widening at the sight of me in front of her. "Will," she whispered. "I mean…" She sighed, looking like she was debating whether to be angry and cold with me or to be warm and friendly. "Mr. Turner," she corrected herself. "What are you doing here?"

I shifted my weight and held out the roses to her. When she didn't take them, I swallowed and began to speak. "I… I, well, wanted to apologize," I confessed. "I, erm, I miss you."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow and eyed me warily. "And?"

"Well, your father suggested—"

"My _father_?" Elizabeth snorted. "I knew it. He told me that he didn't harm you, but if you brought your ass here to apologize to me because he 'suggested' it, then I know he beat you up. Well, I don't think I'm in the mood to hear your apology."

"No!" I shook my head fiercely. "No, he didn't. We talked and…" I sighed and looked to the floor. "He was right. I came to apologize to you because I want to." I gazed up at her, holding my arm out for her to take the roses. "I'm dressed like this because I made reservations at this restaurant in hopes we could talk and I could explain some things to you. I bought these roses because I knew you liked the single rose I gave you on our first date."

I bit my lower lip. "And I came to tell you that I love you."

Elizabeth froze and stared at me, her mouth dropping open a little and a book she had been putting away falling to the floor. "I… I… What?"

"I love you, Elizabeth." I shifted my weight, feeling somewhat relieved that I had finally told my true feelings to her. "If you don't want to forgive me or hear my explanations as to why I lied to you, that's fine. I deserved it. I've been an ass, and it's my entire fault. But I don't want to leave you here without letting you know that I will always love you no matter what you decide to do with me."

Elizabeth stood there in silence. She slowly bent down and picked up the fallen book, placing it on its appropriate shelf. She accepted the roses from me without a word, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "Alright," she said finally. "I'll let you explain. I can't guarantee you that I'll accept you back; I'm not sure of it yet. But I will listen to what you have to say." She smiled a little. "Where is this restaurant? Do I need to change?"

"No." She didn't have a reason to change out of her clothes into a dress; she was beautiful as she was. I shook my head. "No, you don't need to change. You're fine the way you are." I flashed a smile. "Our reservations are in twenty minutes. Shall we go?" I offered her my arm.

Elizabeth sighed and nodded. "Alright," she agreed, tucking her arm in mine. "But at least allow me to let my boss know that I'm taking off for lunch, okay? I really don't want to get fired."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement, allowing her to lead us to where her manager was. I knew she loved her new job and would shot me if I get her fired. _That_ wasn't the plan on winning her back. "Alright," I agreed. "Let's go tell your boss."

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**Author's Note: **See? Weatherby Swann isn't _that_ bad. :P Oh, and before y'all ask me why Elizabeth isn't yelling and cussing him out is because, well, she loves him back too. Of course you all knew that from Chapter 9, but she hasn't told Will that yet. I mean, I didn't want her to rush into his arms and beg him to come back as soon as she saw him. I mean, come on. That's really pathetic. I don't see Elizabeth cussing Will out either, so I decided the best action for her was to allow Will to take her to lunch/dinner/whatever and let him explain things to her before she makes her decision on what to do with him. Make sense? Sorry if it doesn't...

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	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note: **SURPRISE!!! Missed me?! A thousand apologies. I warned you my school schedule would be extremely busy this year, but I didn't realize that it meant I would be crashing on Fridays, sleep late on Saturdays, and be lazy until Sunday to get my energy back! How many of you already want to throw their books across the room and refuse to do any work? Seriously, that's what I want to do to my Chemistry and Algebra 2 book right now. I HAVE THOSE BLOODY SUBJECTS!!! Anyway, I've also been sick half this month. From October 5 to October 9 I was sick. The week after that I spent late nights trying to do make-up work and work that still hasn't been completed yet. Then from October 16 to now, I developed a really bad cold that gave me 100.9 temperature Sunday and a cough on Wednesday night. I tell you, if you have asthma and have a cough in your chest, you stay home! But now you have a new chapter since I got the sudden inspiration to write again! :D I'm so sorry if this chapter is confusing. I took cough medicine in the process of writing this, and it's late. If it's confusing, please tell me! I'll definitely rewrite this chapter later down the road and clear things up with you in my responses to your reviews and in an author's note in the next chapter!

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**Chapter 11 – Elizabeth's POV**

We hardly spoke at the restaurant. Well, actually, we did talk, but it was more casual talk—the kind of talk you did when you were telling a friend about your weekend. I tried bringing up Will's apology and asking him what he wanted to say to, but he refused, saying that he wanted to wait until we could talk in private. I respected him for that. After all, I didn't want to spend my time arguing with him when I had hopes that we could get back together.

After lunch, Will took my hand and my shoes and walked me down to the beach—down to where he had first kissed him. I have to admit that this was a good spot to share secrets and talk privately; hardly anyone came down there to play or take walks at. It was our private place.

"So, what's up?" I asked lamely as Will climbed up the rock with me. "I mean, you wouldn't tell me anything."

Will smiled weakly and gestured for me to sit down. "You have to promise me that you won't run away until _after_ I finish explaining things. I hardly know if you'll believe me now as it is, and I just want you back, Lizzy."

I nodded in agreement, crossing my legs in a pretzel. "Alright," I said. "I won't say a word. Shoot."

Will bit his lower lip and slowly un-tucked his shirt and unbuttoning it. I felt the rush of déjà vu when I saw the scar marked permanently on his chest, my mind immediately playing back to when I had been a little girl and saw the exact scar. I knew right then and there I had met the man on the beach from ten years ago. There was no doubt about it.

"I was born on January 13, 1702," Will started off quietly. "I didn't know my father, and my mother raised me in the poor part of London until I was twelve, when she died. From London, I left to search for my father in the Caribbean. On the crossing from England, my ship was attacked by pirates and sunk. I nearly died. I would've if it weren't for Governor Hamilton and his daughter, Victoria." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "We were childhood friends, and I fell in love with her."

I couldn't help it. I tightened my jaw. "I see," I said slowly.

Will chuckled, apparently amused. "She's no longer in my life Lizzy, and you'll see why."

I sighed and smiled sheepishly at my reaction. "Sorry," I apologized. "Go on."

"Governor Hamilton arranged for me to be an apprentice to a blacksmith—"

"So that's why you became a welder here!" Will shot me a look. I blushed. "Sorry."

"As I was saying, I became a blacksmith's apprentice. I fell in love with Victoria as the years went by, even as her father tried to prevent her from seeing me. It was inappropriate, my feelings. She was the governor's daughter; I was a poor blacksmith." Will sighed and sat down in front of me. "I thought I would never be with her until she was kidnapped by a man named Barbossa."

Will launched into his story of how he teamed up with Jack Sparrow (the news that the man was immortal didn't exactly surprise me; after all, the man was weird!) to rescue Victoria. I pretended to be happy when Will talked of how he and Victoria got together, but I secretly rejoiced when I heard that their wedding had been ruined by Lord Cutler Beckett. I listened with excitement at the story of the long, long fight over Davy Jones's chest and hugged Will when he mentioned that Victoria kissed Jack and he felt betrayed. I wished to be what Victoria was when I heard she fought with the other pirates, became captain of her own ship, and later was crowned King of the Brethren Court; it sounded so exciting!

By the time Will got around to talking of his own death, I was half-laying on top of Will, tracing his scar. He stared up at the sky, lying on his back, as he went on to say that he was named captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ and returned ten years later to Victoria only to realize she married someone else and had her own children.

"She was supposed to wait for me," Will said quietly. His arms wrapped around me as if he didn't want to let me go. "I promised to return as she promised to wait for me, but she didn't. Instead she married someone else and gave me back my chest, claiming she was sorry." I felt his fists tightened. "She wasn't sorry."

I calmed him down by caressing his bare chest. "Do you wish she had?" I asked quietly. "Waited for you, I mean."

Will sighed and looked down at me. "Holding you in my arms right now? No. Actually, any time I'm with you, I realize that how lucky I am to have met you." He pressed a kiss on my forehead. "I can't lose you, Lizzy. Please, love. Tell me that you love me and that you're willing to take me back. I don't think I could continue my life knowing that you hate me."

I laughed and rolled fully on top of him. "William Turner, if you think I'm laying on top of you just for the heck of it, think again." I kissed the tip of his nose. "I missed you, Will. And I love you. I want you back."

"So you believe me, then?"

I sighed. "Lock me in the loony bin with you, buddy boy, because I believe you."

Will chuckled. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Your explanation made sense as to why you're the age you were when we first met ten years ago," I admitted. "I don't think I would've believed any other story."

"Does it even explain to you why Jack is so…nutty?"

I smirked. "I don't think any story will explain why Jack is so nutty other than him drinking rum all day."

Will laughed and sat up with me in his lap, buttoning up his shirt. "I suppose I'm going to have to face your father now, huh?" he asked.

I nodded. "Afraid so." I suddenly thought of something, frowning slightly. "Will? Something doesn't make sense to me, though."

"Mm? What's that?"

"Well, you said that the only way you would be broken from the curse is if your beloved is waiting for you ten years after you leave them. Why are you free from your curse?"

Will looked stumped. "I…" He frowned, puzzled. "I really don't—" His face looked like as if he just realized something. Without saying a word, he grabbed my hand and tugged me down the rock with him, practically dragging me as he made his way to the boardwalk.

"Will!" I exclaimed. "Will, where are you taking me?"

"I just realized something."

"Yes, I understand that, but where are we going?"

Will looked at me and shrugged. "Jack's."

-----

Jack was just as I remembered. He still smelled of rum, he still talked gibberish at times, and he still walked funny as if he was drunk all the time. Not that I would be surprised if he was or anything. Jack was just as confused as I was when Will practically tore the apartment door down and dragged inside of Jack's messy apartment.

"What's this?" Jack asked in confusion, gazing over at me.

"Don't look at me!" I cried. "He dragged me here!"

"I thought you two broke up or somethin'."

I scowled. "We got back together."

"It's about bloody time!" Jack exclaimed. "I thought my mate was going to die moaning and groaning about how he lost the love of his life—again." He eyed me suspiciously. "Did you pay him to get back together with you?"

"No," I said flatly.

"Rescued him from becoming a show girl?"

This guy was seriously pissing me off. I made the point known as I lunged at him. Lucky for Jack, Will pulled be back just in time, securing his arms around me. "Hey, hey," he warned us both. "This isn't why I'm—we're—here, but if you two are going to engage in a swordfight, I'll gladly leave and let Lizzy kill you, Jack."

"Hey!" Jack protested.

Will chose to ignore him and cautiously let me loose. "Alright," he muttered. "There's something Elizabeth mentioned that I wanted to run by you, Jack. See what you think."

Jack looked at my boyfriend (geez, I love saying that again) curiously. "Eh? What did she say?"

"She asked me how is it that I'm free from the curse if the one I love is supposed to wait for me for ten years."

Jack thought for a moment. He looked puzzled for a moment before he dawned on to something. "Well, Lizzy—" I shot him a look. "Elizabeth," he corrected. "Have you ever had a boyfriend _before_ Will?"

"Um, no." Why the hell would he care? "Will's my first boyfriend."

"Have you ever dated anyone else besides the whelp?"

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"Kissed anyone?"

"Will gave me my first kiss."

"Slept with anyone?"

"_NO!"_

Jack smirked, apparently pleased to see that he was successful at pushing my buttons. "Well, whelp," he said finally. "I'm thinkin' Calypso knew all this and somehow knew that one day the two of you were going to be together. I highly doubt Elizabeth dated anyone else during your mini break-up."

Will grinned. "My thoughts exactly."

"Wait, hold on," I spoke up. "What's going on, exactly? I don't understand…"

Will turned to me, a bright smile on his face. "You remember Calypso, don't you know?"

"Tia Dalma, right?"

"Yeah, her."

"What about her?"

"Well, remember how I said that if the one I love is waiting for me after ten years, the curse is broken?" I nodded. "And you know how you told us that I was the only guy in your life?" Again, I nodded. "What we're saying, love, is that Calypso knew all this and knew that we were going to be in love, so she allowed the curse to be broken. You hadn't betrayed me during the ten years since we first met on the beach when you were little; you hadn't betrayed me when we were broken up."

Will grabbed my hands, looking deeply into my eyes. "Tell me, Elizabeth. Have you ever watched the sunset since you first moved here?"

I nodded a third time. "Yeah," I said. "I watched the sunset when I was all settled in my cottage."

"What day was that, do you remember?"

I shrugged. "The end of August."

"The twenty-eighth?"

"I guess."

"Did you see anything when the sun set?"

"There was a flash of green." What were with these questions?

Will let out a laugh and gathered me in his arms, hoisting me up and spinning us in a circle. I squealed, but I didn't see the point of all the questions. "Lizzy, my love, that flash of green meant that you waited for me for ten years; that the curse was broken. In the two hundred years of me being immortal, that was the only time the flash of green appeared upon my return on land."

I slowly began to smile, realizing what he was saying. "So Calypso knew this was all going to happen?" I asked. "That we would one day be together?"

"It sure sounds like it to me."

"Oh, Will!" I laughed and threw my arms around his neck, pressing kisses all over his face. I never felt so happy before in my life. "I don't expect you to propose right now because then I'll be demanding for a diamond ring right about now, but I don't think I could picture me being with anyone else right now."

"Nor I."

I pressed my lips firmly against Will's, pulling him into a deep kiss. I giggled as Jack gagged and Will pulled away, looking annoyed. "We're leaving Jack," Will murmured, carrying me out of the door.

"Good!" Jack called back at us.

I gazed down at Will as he slammed the door shut and carried me to the nearest elevator. "So does this mean you're ready to meet my father officially?" I teased him.

Will grinned, carefully setting me down on the ground. "He's not that bad."

"I haven't introduced you as my boyfriend yet, though. He only knows you as the guy who broke his little girl's heart."

Will rolled his eyes. "As long as he's not Governor Hamilton," he muttered. "I swear, that guy hated my guts! At least your father admitted that I was a good man!"

I laughed, drawing him in another kiss.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Awww... Now was that worth the wait?! Aren't they the cutest couple out there?! :P Again, apologies if this chapter is confusing. Let me know if it is, and I'll clear it up! I blame the cough medicine... -.- Oh, and Darcy? I hope you spotted the inside joke I threw it there! Need a hint? *coughBarrycough*

Review?


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note: **Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there! So sorry for not updating sooner, but remember how I was sick half of October? Yeah, still trying to catch up. But I get a week off for Thanksgiving this year, so I decided that I would ignore homework for now and write this chapter! Lucky you! Oh, and I decided to skip from March to November in this story because then you would have a pointless chapter to read. I really did try writing it directly after the last chapter, but it didn't work out. So enjoy!

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**Chapter 12 – Will's POV**

You know, for a man that never planned to marry unless his bride is rum or the sea, Jack's certainly a nagger when it comes to telling me I need to propose to my girlfriend.

Jack insisted that it was time for me to get engaged as we spent a cool November day in a bar. He claimed I've been waiting around long enough and needed to pop the question before it was too late. I didn't think I need to. I mean, I've only been dating Elizabeth for more or less nine months. Okay, so technically I've known her for over a year. Technically I already know I'm going to marry Elizabeth because Calypso would've never released me from the curse if she knew my one true love hadn't been waiting for me. But to me, I figured I had a good year or two before I went down the route of marriage.

On the other hand, I _wanted_ to propose. I wanted to see her smiling and glowing with joy as she walks down the aisle with her father. I wanted to wake up one year from now and see Elizabeth sleeping next to me or making breakfast in the kitchen. I wanted to make passionate love to her. I wanted to see her be a mum to my children. I wanted _her_.

"Maybe you're right," I confessed as I joined Jack to get another round of drinks. "Maybe I can't wait any longer."

Jack snorted. "O' course I'm right!" he exclaimed, grabbing a beer bottle. "You're too whipped to wait another two damn years to pop the bloody question!"

I stared at him. "Is that's why you've been nagging me?" I demanded. "Because I'm whipped?"

Jack shrugged. "You caught the garter, didn't you?"

I scowled, recalling Katie and Matthew's wedding back in April. They claimed it wasn't on purpose and totally by coincidence, but somehow in a mysterious unrealistic way Elizabeth caught Katie's bridal bouquet and I—surprise, surprise—caught the stupid garter. Coincidence? I think not.

Jack smirked, taking a sip of his drink. "Mate, Matthew knows what he's talking about if he happened to toss the garter directly at you."

I groaned and banged my head against the countertop. "But propose? It's only been nine months!"

"It's not like you've know her for only a few days or anything. You love her, right?"

"Well, yes."

"And you can see her in the future with you, right?"

"Yes."

"Problem solved." Jack quickly ordered another drink before returning to our conversation. "Buy her the ring, get hitched, and live your life." I could only nod before I looked at him weirdly. "What?"

"Are you sure you're Jack Sparrow?" I asked suspiciously.

"Hey, I may be stupid but I'm not that stupid," Jack said defensively.

I stared at him.

"What?"

-----

But I wasn't about to go out and buy an engagement ring with only Jack's approval. I wanted to take with Katie and Matthew about it first. Elizabeth's other best friend, Anamaria, surely would want an input on this decision. Then there was Mr. Swann. There was no way I was going to propose to his daughter without his permission. This was his little girl we were talking about after all!

There was one last approval I felt like I needed. Calypso. Granted she set me free from the curse because Elizabeth had waited for me to return to Port Royal. I mean, that was probably a dead giveaway that it was meant to be. But I wasn't about to go off and marry Elizabeth only to have her being taken away from me. I certainly wasn't going to let that happen.

I had no way of contacting Calypso, however. The last time I contacted Calypso willingly was when my heart was still in the Dead Man's Chest. So how was I supposed to call up the voodoo lady as a mortal? Yell her name on the beach? Toss a message bottle out in the Caribbean? That was something I would have to figure out.

It turned out, two nights later, that I didn't need to call her up. She simply knew. In fact, Calypso came to me in a dream as Tia Dalma. She was there, persuading me to follow her. I wanted to scream no, but my dream didn't let me. I was soon whisked away with her without a word. We flew around until we were floating over a wedding. I couldn't see where exactly where we were or the details of the wedding, but I instantly recognized the people getting married. There was Elizabeth, walking down the aisle with her father and coming to greet her groom—me. I didn't get to hear the vows or see the ring exchange because Tia Dalma decided to fast forward to the next scene.

White. That's all I saw. I saw white but nothing else until the scene became much clearer and I could see a tired-looking woman in a hospital bed. My heart leaped to my throat until I realized she was purely happy. I was so focused on the woman that I almost didn't see a blue bundle in her arms. I frowned slightly and floated closer to the bundle. A baby boy. The baby opened his eyes sleepily and focused directly at me. Confused, I gazed back at the woman, my eyes widening when I realized it was Elizabeth again. She laughed and smiled, her sweet voice reaching my ears. "I believe it's your turn to hold him, Daddy," I heard her say.

"I'm going to drop him," I protested.

"Drop Liam? No, you won't drop our son, Will."

I didn't get the chance to respond as Tia Dalma forced me away from the scene. "You'll have your time," she said in her thick Jamaican accent. "But not now."

I so desperately wanted to go back to Elizabeth and my son. "When?" I asked. "When can I go back to them?"

Tia Dalma grinned slyly, showing her black teeth. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"But—"

"You won't know until you get the girl, now won't you?"

I could only stare at her. "So you approve of Lizzy?" I asked hesitantly. "No protests, no attempts to steal me away from her?"

Tia Dalma shrugged. "I had my chance to have you for nearly three-hundred years. It's Captain Swann's turn."

I frowned. "Captain Swann?"

"Think of her as a modern day Pirate King, Mr. Turner. The captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ and the Pirate King of the Brethren Court is a mighty force on their own, but together they're even stronger." With that, Tia Dalma returned to her goddess form and left me to wake up into reality.

-----

The dream was the reason why I spent two hours in a jewelry store to buy a diamond to go with the band I made myself. Anamaria Santos helped me. It turns out that Anamaria had been best friends with Elizabeth since their high school years, so I knew that she would be the only one to tell me what cut Elizabeth would love. Anamaria was more than happy to fly out from London to help me out. (She had planned to come for a month or so to spend the holidays with Elizabeth anyway.)

I bit my lower lip as I carefully carved a single rose (Elizabeth's favourite flower) on the inside of the band. I carved the date August 28 in the neatest handwriting I had. August 28 was the day I was set free from the curse, and I knew Elizabeth would love to have that small reminder with her. The diamond (princess-cut, as Anamaria had insisted Elizabeth dreamed off) was set oh-so carefully on the band. I wanted perfection for this ring. I didn't want any flaws on this ring. It had to be perfect. That's how much Lizzy mattered to me.

Satisfied with my results, I carefully set the ring in a black velvet box and wrapped the box in snowflake-printed wrapping paper. Smiling to myself, I added a white bow to the blue paper. Christmas was still a month away, but I still had to get the nerve to call Mr. Swann and ask him for permission. Who knew how long that was going to take me to do? But whenever I was going to do that task, I planned on making this Elizabeth's best Christmas for years to come.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Now wouldn't you want to read that instead of reading about some date between our favourite couple?! If you thought this was a little too fast, well, I give you my deepest apologies. I hope you still enjoy reading it, though. I figured that I might have about twenty chapters to this story before it's complete. Keep in mind it might be less than twenty or it could be more than twenty, but there will definitely be more than fifteen chapters.

Review?


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas! Well, I'm glad this chapter takes place close to Christmas because Christmas is tomorrow! :] The next chapter won't be out until after Christmas, though... Oh, well! I plan to write the next chapter while I'm on vacation in Las Vegas next week, but if I don't update before I go back to school for the next semester, my apologies. Enjoy this chapter, and happy holidays!

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**Chapter 13 – Elizabeth's POV**

Do you know how hard it is to shop for a Christmas gift your boyfriend when he has lived over three hundred years? No? Well, let me tell you. It's very, very, _very_ hard. I mean, I could get him an iPod, but I bought one for his birthday last January after he said he never had one. There are always CDs, but he has an iPod. Katie and Anamaria, who had flown from London to spend the holidays with me, had thrown ideas like a box of his favorite candy, but for crying out loud I was in love with this guy!

"Just get him a damn gift card," Anamaria grumbled as I dragged her and Katie to the mall with me yet again to help me find a gift for Will.

"No," I whined. "Because then he probably got me this awesome gift and I'm going to feel really bad if I hand him a gift card for iTunes or something."

Katie through her hands up in the air. "I give up, Liz," she said in exasperation. "I really do! Geez, I never spent this much time thinking over a gift for Matthew!"

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. But this is my first boyfriend we're talking about. I have to do it right."

Anamaria sighed and scanned the many stores available at the local mall. She pointed to a store that sold international items that were meant to embrace your culture. "Why not get him a gift from there? Isn't he part Irish or Scottish or something?"

I thought for a moment. Will _did_ mention once he had a little bit of Irish and Scottish in him besides being English. He told me that he wanted to visit those countries one day as he never had the chance to while he was stuck on the _Flying Dutchman_. It clicked. I could plan a trip for us to go over there when he wanted to. Will would like that…right? I squealed and hugged Anamaria tightly. "Ana, you're a genius!"

Anamaria hugged me back awkwardly. "Well, um, I'm glad to be of service, but there's really no need for you to get overly excited about the idea…"

"No, no!" I released her from my hug and grinned, looking back and forth between Ana and Katie. "He mentioned that he wanted to go see Ireland and Scotland one day. I could plan a trip for the two of us to go fly out there."

Katie tilted her head a little. "You know, that's not a bad idea," she said thoughtfully. "Man, I should've done that instead of the crappy sweater I bought him."

I laughed and linked arms with my best friends as we walked to the food court. "You're right. It's perfect!"

-----

I called Daddy to help me. I mean, we've traveled so much that Daddy knew what flights to book and what hotels to make reservations at. He agreed to help make arrangements, and in four days time, I wrapped up the plane tickets in some of the Christmas paper I had left over.

Will came over as soon as I was done wrapping. He had promised to help decorate the cottage for Christmas. I think he was looking forward to it since he never had a place decorated for the holidays before. "I smell cookies," he muttered, bending down a little to kiss my lips.

I grinned. "Chocolate chip."

"My favorite."

"Oh, I know." I shut the front door and dragged him to the living room. "We need the tree up," I said, opening a box of Christmas lights and ornaments. "That way I can put your present under it."

Will quirked an eyebrow and looked at me. "You got me a present?"

"Of course, silly! And you're going to spend the night on Christmas Eve with me so you can open it on Christmas morning."

"Spend the night?"

I pouted. "Don't you want to?"

Will looked amused as he wrapped his arms around my waist and tugged me closer to him. "Of course I do," he said, kissing the tip of my nose. "I spent last Christmas with a half-drunk Jack who insisted the best way to celebrate the holidays was drinking rum. A real Christmas with you sounds much better."

"Good." I kissed his cheek and turned to the ornaments. "Let's get crackin'."

It took us a few hours, but when the cookies were eaten and the Christmas CD we were listening to was going into a sixth round of songs, my tree was up in the corner of the living room with Will's wrapped present sitting lonely underneath.

"Gee, honey," Will teased him, eyeing his gift. "I really appreciate your big gift."

"Don't judge it," I argued. "It's bigger than it looks."

"Well, I hope you didn't spend too much money on it."

"Does it matter?"

"Well, no, but you know me and expensive gifts."

"I'm sure you'll like it, Will." I snuggled on the sofa with him, snatching the last cookie from the plate on the coffee table. "But if you put your gift to me under the tree, my gift to you won't look so lonely."

Will chuckled, rubbing my lower back. "I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Good boy." I split the cookie in half and fed him some of the pieces. Will only laughed and kissed me heatedly.

-----

I learned last year that Will loved _Miracle on 34__th__ Street_ and _It's a Wonderful Life_ when he saw it on TV during the holidays. I didn't know why he loved it so much, but I made sure to rent the two movies when he came over to spend the night with me. I didn't mind watching it with him, though, as I grew up watching it with my parents when my mother was still alive. In fact my father still watched it during Christmas. He said it made him feel like his wife was still with him. It remained a father-daughter tradition, but now that I was living on my own, I wondered if Daddy was still going to watch it. Knowing him, I assumed so.

"I can't believe I missed out so much," Will muttered as I snuggled into his side. "I mean, I know I probably said that last year, but we didn't do much on the _Dutchman_ since I was usually ferrying souls and taking us at world's end." He sighed and draped a blanket over my legs. "I wish we did more now that I think of it."

"It's not your fault," I remarked. "You were the captain. You had no choice but do your job."

"Yeah, I just wish the guys could see some of this stuff. I mean, they probably wouldn't care much of it, but it's kind of fun to see the lights and the decorations and stuff even though we're in the middle of the Caribbean. I bet it looks better with snow."

"Well, then I guess we can plan a trip to the States or something next Christmas and see the decorations with the snow."

"Maybe." Will shifted his weight and ended up lying on the couch with me, his arms wrapped firmly around me. "Or maybe we can spend next Christmas with your dad in London."

"Only if you want to."

Will sighed. "It would be nice," he said. "I can't spend this kind of Christmas with my dad."

I grew silent. "At least you spent over two hundred years with him," I offered.

Will smiled weakly, stroking my hair. "Oh, I know. And I'm eternally grateful for that."

I rubbed his chest. "Now I feel like I should've gotten your dad for Christmas instead of what I bought," I said, half-joking.

"Depends." Will smirked. "What did you buy me?"

"Oh, no you don't." I wagged my finger at him. "You don't get a peek until tomorrow morning."

Will pouted. "Please?"

"Well, you let me open mine?"

"No, because it will ruin the pro—I mean surprise."

"See, we're even."

Will shook his head, gazing into my eyes. "You are an amazing woman, Elizabeth Swann."

I smiled and kissed his jaw. "And you are an amazing man, William Turner."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know you were all expecting Will to propose in this chapter, but it's not going to happen until Elizabeth's next POV. Sorry about that. So how is the proposal going to turn out? I guess you'll have to find out. ;] I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter and hope that you have a happy day tomorrow!

Review? It will be my Christmas present from you! :D


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** Surprise! A new chapter! :D I wrote this baby up while I was in Las Vegas for a few days. (No, I didn't gamble. :P I saw _Phantom of the Opera _instead!) I meant to write two chapters and post them, but Chapter 15 is only half way done. I'll definitely have it up before I return to school, so don't worry!

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**Chapter 14 – Will's POV**

Why did I have a feeling that proposing to Lizzy was going to be the easy part? I mean, I knew that Mr. Swann wasn't going to fly out to Port Royal again and beat me into a pulp when I ask for his daughter's hand in marriage, but I was too nervous to call him. I knew it wouldn't be hard calling Mr. Swann up because Jack showed me how to call long distance on phone. I was just terrified that my future father-in-law would say no after all even though Calypso assured me in my dream that she gave up trying to get me after nearly three hundred years and that I really was going to marry Elizabeth. Governor Hamilton did (twice) before Victoria convinced him otherwise. Mr. Swann could be the same.

Finally, after three days of hesitating, I got the nerve to call Elizabeth's father. I dialed slowly, wondering what I was going to even say to the man.

"Hello?"

Oh, geez, I should just hang up now. "Erm, hello, Mr. Swann," I said politely. "How are you?"

"Ah, William." Mr. Swann sounded pleased to hear me. That was a good sign…right? "I'm doing quite well. How are you? How's my daughter?"

"Elizabeth's fine," I answered. "I'm…fine." Nervous.

"You don't sound fine."

Damn. He knew. "You see, sir," I said quickly. "I called to… Well, I love your daughter, sir. And I know we haven't dated long. Heck, it hasn't been a year. I mean, I know most people date years and years before they even consider getting married. Look at them! They move in together and have kids before they get married! I'm not going to do that to your daughter, sir, because I respect her too much to have sex with her prior to marriage so don't worry about that. What I'm saying is—"

"—you want to ask my permission to marry Elizabeth."

How did he know? I voiced that.

Mr. Swann chuckled. "William, I went through the same thing when I asked my father-in-law for permission to marry his daughter. Not all men ramble, but some probably do. I did. You did. Besides, I realized what you were calling for long before you rambled. Your voice gave it away."

"Oh." I paced in my living room. "But do I? Have permission to marry Lizzy, I mean."

Mr. Swann sighed. "The one thing I'm concerned about is that Elizabeth is only twenty," he said. "It seems awfully young to get married."

"Oh."

"Does she love you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you talked marriage with her?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did she have to say about it?"

I couldn't but smile, remembering our discussion about why I had been set free from my curse. We had many more conversations similar to that that I knew Elizabeth would be more than happy to be with me for the rest of our lives. "She said that she can't imagine anyone else she wants to be with."

"Well." Mr. Swann paused, and I heard some papers being shuffled around. "I have to admit that I don't like the idea of my little girl getting married, but I think her temper will flare if I don't let her marry you. My answer, Mr. Turner, is yes. You may marry my daughter."

I grinned, excitement building up inside of me. "Thank you, sir," I said, forcing myself to remain in my polite tone of voice. "Thank you very much."

I heard him laugh. "You're very welcome, William," Mr. Swann replied. "Just have her call me after you propose. I'm sure she's going to want to call me after you do."

I chuckled. "Probably."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Turner."

"You too, Mr. Swann."

-----

Elizabeth insisted I decorate the Christmas tree with her. I hadn't done so last year because we were barely dating and I was too polite to be at her house until we were official. But I have to admit. It was fun. Elizabeth was just adorable. She had put on Christmas music and danced around to it and made me sing with her. I don't know how, but she even got tangled up in some of the lights and laughed the entire time. It certainly was going to be interesting when I married her.

Then I spent Christmas Eve with her. Elizabeth made my favorite cookies and had rented the two holiday movies I loved. Seeing her putting so much effort to make the holidays enjoyable compared to last year, it made me wish my father and my crew were here to see it all. Our Christmas celebrations on the _Dutchman_ composed of drinking and eating before I had to ferry souls for the rest of the day. I'm sure the guys would've loved to spend the holidays seeing the decorations people had and the sweets and gifts that were given even if they wouldn't admit it verbally. I know my father certainly would enjoy it all.

As Elizabeth and I talked of the gifts, I nearly told her I was going to propose the next day. I couldn't believe it. I felt like an idiot. I was relieved when Elizabeth didn't seem to notice and went on to say that we were even in our debate. She was an amazing woman, and I told her that. I was truthful about it, too. She was my life. I would die for her. Elizabeth probably wouldn't let me die for her, but I would. She meant so much more to me than Victoria ever did. Why oh why didn't I have her before?

"So who gets breakfast duty tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked suddenly.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to gaze into her eyes. I chuckled. "I will," I offered. "I know how to make waffles."

Elizabeth giggled, playing with a strand of my hair. "Oh, you do, huh? I figured you only knew how to make cereal."

I pretended to be hurt. "A man has to know how to cook if he wants live while he's still a bachelor," I said defensively.

"Oh, I believe you. You made me that lovely dinner that one time."

"That's because you were stressed and overwhelmed with new duties at work." Elizabeth had been promoted to assistant manager at the bookstore she worked at (which was a good choice in my opinion as Elizabeth probably worked harder than the others). She loved it because she and her boss got to see the new books coming in before the rest of the employees, but on one particular day she had been terribly stressed organizing a book signing that I made dinner for her to help her relax.

"But I loved every bite," Elizabeth insisted. "You know how to make me feel better, that's for sure."

"Well, that's good to hear." I ran my hands through her hair. Her locks were so soft… "That skill will come in handy when you get mad at me."

Elizabeth grinned. "Then I'm looking forward to when I get mad at you."

"Should I fear you?" I teased her. "I know of your temper, Lizzy."

"Maybe."

I chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I love you. So much."

"I love you more."

"Oh, yeah?"

Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest stubbornly, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Of course."

I smirked and innocently placed my hands at her sides. "You're so serious about it!"

Elizabeth pouted. "Because I _am_."

"I believe you. I love you just as much."

"Good." Elizabeth's eyes widened as she realized where my hands were on her body. "Don't. You. Dare." Too late. I began to tickle her, making her squeal and try to get away. "William Turner!"

"Yes?" I asked sweetly. I tickled her at her ribs. "Did you need something?"

Elizabeth laughed, scurrying away from me. "I cry uncle!"

I wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her closer to me. "I suppose you win," I said with a mock sigh. "But I'll get you next time."

"Not if I get you first."

I merely shook my head in amusement. "Believe me, darling," I said softly. "I know you will."

-----

Elizabeth slept on the couch with me. I had woken up early on Christmas morning due to nerves. She was oblivious, of course, and curled up into my chest as I gazed over to the unlit tree. Carefully I pulled myself away from her. I made sure she was comfortable and sleeping soundly amongst the pillows and blankets we had used before I crawled over to the tree and plugged in the lights. The wrapped box stared up at me, its silver bow daring me to pick the thing up and give it to my girlfriend. I swallowed and picked it up, turning back for the couch.

I crawled back to Elizabeth and kissed her lips softly. She stirred only slightly. I chuckled and brushed her hair out of her face and neck. Nothing. I shook her gently. "Lizzy."

"Mm." I rolled my eyes and shook her a little more. Elizabeth didn't open her eyes, but she did push me back. "Go away, Willy."

Willy? I wasn't going to ask. "Time to wake up, sweetheart," I said. "It's Christmas morning."

"No."

"I have your present."

Elizabeth popped one eye open. "Present?"

"Yes, Lizzy." This was very amusing.

"I want a present."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Then wake up."

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and leaned on her elbow, staring down at me sleepily. "What's my present?"

I placed her gift next to her. "Why don't you open it and find out?"

"Okay." Elizabeth sat up and crossed her legs into a pretzel. She carefully peeled off the silver bow and I grew even more nervous than I had been. This was it. As soon as she picked up the velvet box from inside the cardboard box, I was going to propose.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Haha! You all thought he was going to propose. XD Don't worry, though. He's going to very, very, very soon. ;] I have the next chapter half written, but if I don't post that today, think of this as the last chapter of the year.

...

Wow. Can you believe 2009 is almost done? Well, I'm hoping for a better year for 2010! How about you guys?

Review? It's a goodbye-to-2009 for this story. ;]


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** You know what, guys? I love you. No, seriously! I really didn't think I was ever going to reach over a hundred reviews, but you proved me wrong. When I checked my profile this morning, I had 101 reviews. 101!! Way more than I thought I was going to get! Thank you guys so much! I'm so glad that everyone enjoys this story as much as I enjoy writing it! :D As a reward, I'll stop torturing you and give you the moment y'all have been waiting for. Drum roll, please!

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Elizabeth's POV**

It was way too early to be up in my opinion, but I wanted my present. I sat up and picked up the snowflake-printed wrapped box, curious as to what it was. I glanced over at Will as I peeled off the silver bow. He looked nervous. Why was he nervous? It was just a Christmas present. Maybe he thought I won't like what he got me. Well, whatever it was I'm sure I'm going to like it.

I busily unwrapped my gift to see a white cardboard box. "Gee, thanks," I teased him. "I've always wanted a box."

Will smiled weakly, apparently trying his best to hide his nervousness. "I'm glad you like it."

I grinned and tore the tape that was keeping the lid shut. Bubble wrap. I glanced down at Will again before I dug through the bubble wrap and found a little black box hidden. It looked like a jewelry box. Curiously I lifted it up. I almost didn't notice Will shifting his weight and moving on one knee. I was confused. Why was he down on one knee? Suddenly it hit me. "Will…?"

"Open it," Will urged me.

I couldn't wait any longer. I opened the box and gasped. A ring. But not just any ring. It was a diamond _engagement_ ring. "Will?"

"Elizabeth." Will paused, taking my hand gently. "I love you," he said simply. "I can't imagine another woman in my life other than you." He gazed up at me lovingly. "Lizzy? Will you marry me?"

I lost it. I started crying and threw my arms around him. "Yes! Yes! A million times yes!"

"Oof!" Will fell back, catching me in his arms. He lay on his back, but he was grinning, pleased with my reaction. "I guess I don't have to ask you again," he joked.

"No!" I giggled and wiped my tears away. "I'm sorry," I sniffed. "I'm just so happy." I picked up the ring box that had fallen on the ground when I practically jumped on Will. "It's beautiful," I whispered, taking the ring out of its box. I smirked, not resisting the urge to tease him about the ring. "It's not a Cracker Jack ring, is it?"

Will's eyes grew wide. "No," he said quickly. "No, I made the band myself. See, look?" He took the ring from me and tilted it slightly. There was a carving of a rose (my favorite flower) and a date written right next to it. August 28, the day we first met.

I giggled and kissed him. "Relax," I said. "I know it's not a cheap ring. I love it."

"Well, I'm glad you like it then."

I smiled and got off of him with a quick kiss on his soft lips, deciding to give him his present now. I grabbed it from under the tree and handed it to him. I settled on his lap as he wrapped his arms around me and tore the wrapping paper curiously. Will was like a little boy. His chocolate brown eyes were wide as if he never had a present before and his face lit up in excitement. I had to smile. He was so adorable.

Will curiously held up the plane tickets, reading the print in confusion. "What are these?" he asked.

"Plane tickets," I explained. I knew he never been on a plane before. He had only seen them in the distance when one flew over Port Royal every once in a while. "I thought you would like to go on a trip with me to Ireland and Scotland."

Will looked at me. "Ireland and Scotland? I'm part Irish and Scottish."

"I know. I also know you've never been in those countries before. I thought you'd like to go for your birthday or something and tour it, just the two of us. See, look." I took the tickets from him and pointed to the dates I told Daddy to book. "I made sure that when we fly to London there were a few days for you to see modern day London."

Will looked pleased as he took the tickets back. "I really appreciate this, Liz. I just hope I can get off work."

"Already arranged," I said proudly.

Will shook his head and nuzzled my neck. "Have I ever told you that you're an amazing woman?"

I giggled. "Once or twice."

"Then I'll say it again: You're an amazing woman, Lizzy."

I hummed and rested my head on his chest, hugging his torso. I honestly didn't know how I deserved such a man like Will. I mean, he went through so much the past two or three hundred years while I merely enjoyed the riches of my family before I decided to part from my father and move from London to Port Royal. My life was definitely more cheerful than Will's probably had. "I don't deserve you," I whispered, staring off at the wall in front of me.

Will stroked my hair. "Of course you do."

"No, I don't." I looked up at him, remaining on his lap. "I look at my life and then at yours and I can't help but think that maybe you deserve someone who's had it bad. You don't deserve me."

"Liz." Will cupped my face, looking at me with loving eyes. "I'll admit life on the _Dutchman_ wasn't easy. I've told you some things, but I honestly don't want to tell you all of it in fear that I'll scare you off or that it will be too much for you. It was a very difficult life. But _you_ are the reason why every year on that ship was worth it. I didn't know it then, but looking at you now, I know it now."

He trailed his fingertips along the line of my jaw, causing me to relax under his touch. "I could be dead, Elizabeth. I could've returned to Victoria to discover she was faithful to me and lived the rest of my life with her without knowing you. Calypso could've had her way with me and I would be as involved with her as Davy Jones had been without ever stepping in Port Royal again and meeting you long after you've grown up. But that's not what happened. Victoria betrayed me and I was bound to the _Dutchman_ for what I thought was the rest of eternity. I refused Calypso until she gave up all together and allowed me to do what I pleased."

Will chuckled, his eyes lighting up. "I met you as a little girl," he continued. "You were so curious and so in love with pirates. You didn't believe me when I said that I worked at a themed restaurant and demanded to know why I have a scar. I gave you my necklace as a promise to return and tell you the whole story. I had no intention of doing so, but I'm forever grateful I did."

I hung on to every word he spoke, many different emotions rushing through my body. I felt sad for him at the small reminder of his years on his ship and the betrayal of Victoria, but I felt happy to hear of the memories of the very first time we met. Fate was cruel, I realized, but yet it was also caring. "I love you so," I breathed.

"Believe me, so do I."

I grinned and gazed down at the engagement ring that rested beautifully on my left hand, admiring the simple but beautiful diamond and running the carved words on the inside of the band in my head. "When did you first love me?" I asked. I just had to know.

Will paused as if to think about it for a moment. "I think," he said finally, "I have always loved you, Miss Swann. Always."

I laced my fingers through his. "And I think I have always loved you, Mr. Turner," I said softly. "Always."

-----

Just as the plane tickets suggested, Will and I packed our bags to spend Will's birthday in Ireland and later Scotland. Will had never been on a plane before, so he had woke me up earlier than I had intended just so we can get to the airport. I was thoroughly amused as Will was quick to load my car with our luggage and that amusement didn't die as he chattered all the way about the places he wanted to see.

I expected Will to be more timid about seeing the airport, but Will's face lit up excitedly like a little boy's. It reminded me of the many times when I introduced modern technology to him for the first time. As excited as he was, though, Will was extremely shy around the security and other workers at the airport. Anytime he was spoken to he answered so quietly that I was surprised anyone could understand him at all. Will was very, very timid around security especially. He had been a pirate for so long that I'm sure security looking through his passport and carry on made him think that they were going to discover something of his past. By the time we finally got through security and reached our gate, poor Will looked like swimming to London was a better option than flying out.

I smiled sympathetically and rubbed his back as he quietly at the fruit salad I bought him. "It's all over," I reassured him.

Will glanced at me warily. "Yeah, but don't we have to do it again?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"I don't like it."

"I know, babe."

Will sighed and nibbled on a pineapple. "I'm sorry, love," he apologized. "I'm just not used to it. At all. I haven't been outside of Port Royal since, well, you know."

"I should've warned you about the security," I said guiltily. "I just figured you knew with the movies we watched. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Will sighed again and finished with his food before he threw his trash away. "I guess I'm a little nervous. That's all."

"Well, think about where we're going," I said with a smile, taking his hand. "That will take your mind off things."

Will relaxed a little, a grin appearing on his face as he thought about Ireland and Scotland. "Is it really that green?" he asked, playing with my fingers. "I've seen pictures, but…"

"It's beautiful," I replied, resting my head on his shoulder. "And green, just as you said. My dad and I loved it the last time we were in Ireland. Scotland was just as beautiful. I don't think you'll be disappointed, Will. I really don't."

"Then I'm looking forward to every minute of this trip."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Darcy, I sure hope you caught the inside joke in there! ;] Anyway... Yay! Will and Elizabeth are now engaged! :D Also I decided to make Will extremely shy around airport security because first of all Will is a shy, quiet man. Second of all, I highly doubt any pirate would be cheerful and chattery when they are surrounded by policemen and being checked for any threats. I'm sure poor Will was a little panicky about it and was thinking that security would discover something about him that's not exactly what Will or Elizabeth want them to know. Plus, I mentioned a passport. Come on. Like they're actually going to say Will was born in 1702! There's a little illegal action there when it comes to getting Will's passport (such as Jack possibly giving them an official birth certificate that tweaks Will's birth year a little...). Anyway, I hope that explains/clears up some things. :]

Review?


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** A thousand of apologies for not updating sooner! I told myself I would update last week, but truth be told, I was too lazy to write and I was busy. As you know, school is so hectic and stressful for me this year. It's mostly Algebra 2 and Chemistry that keeps me busy. To add to all that, I'm flunking Chemistry this semester so I have tutoring two hours a week during the evening. But my grade is now in the D range because I got an A on my lab and it raised my grade eight percent! :D So to celebrate I wrote up this little chapter for you to enjoy. ^^

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**Chapter 16 – Will's POV**

London was much busier and much noisier than I remembered, but the last time I was in London, it was two or three hundred years ago. As much as I was startled with my surroundings when we first left the airport, I slowly began to enjoy and appreciate the city more.

Elizabeth hired a taxi for us to use, but instead of giving instructions to a hotel, she gave an address that clearly was a residential site. Then I remembered Elizabeth said we were going to stay with her father for a few days while we see London before taking off for Scotland. As much as I liked Mr. Swann, the thought of seeing my future father-in-law made me nervous. He gave me permission to marry his daughter, but he had yet to see her as an engaged woman.

I sighed and settled back in my seat, taking Elizabeth's left hand. "So we're going to your father's, huh?"

Elizabeth smiled and snuggled into my side. "That's the plan," she said. "I called him when you were getting our luggage. He's expecting us."

"Yay."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I thought you liked him," she pouted. "He likes you."

"Well, yeah." I shifted my weight. "But what if he changes his mind? It can happen you know."

"I doubt that, Will." Elizabeth kissed my cheek and rested her head on my shoulder. "He may not have liked you before, but he's letting you marry me. That's pretty big since Daddy never did like the boys who came my way."

"But I thought you never dated."

"No, I never did. I wasn't interested in them. Daddy did have a thing or two to say about them, though."

I had to laugh. "Somehow I can believe that."

Elizabeth smiled and rubbed her thumb over my knuckles. "Try to relax, babe. You're worrying about this too much. Daddy likes you. He was thrilled to help me organize this entire trip. You have to admit he's going to be ten times better of a father-in-law than Victoria's father ever would."

"Very true," I agreed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, love."

-----

I should've expected the big fancy house when the taxi pulled up to the iron gates and had to get permission from a servant to enter. I mean, I've seen Elizabeth's car. It was a newer version of a Mercedes. The car Mr. Swann had used during his visit in Port Royal had been a Jaguar. However, I was still surprised to see the house Elizabeth lived in before she left London.

"Wow."

Elizabeth giggled. "Is that all you have to say?" she teased as the taxi slowly drove up the long, circular driveway. "Just wow? Surely you've seen a house this big before!"

"Love, this house is as big as the bloody governor's palace! It's huge! What does your father do again?"

"He owns a business."

"I can see that!" I exclaimed in exasperation. "But _what_ business?"

Elizabeth sighed and got out of the car, pulling me out with her. She paused to take our bags out of the trunk and pay the taxi driver. The moment the taxi left the Swann manor, she spoke once again. "The EITC."

My eyes grew wide. "The…EITC?"

Elizabeth shrugged and nodded, digging out her spare key to the house. "Yeah, the EITC. He's started it when he and my mum got married. The company grew and expanded when I was born."

The EITC was a major international company. The company dealt largely with the production and improvement of technology, but it also handled the shipment of goods that were large in demand around the world. I knew how big the company was, but I had no idea who owned the business until now.

"How come you didn't tell me that before?" I asked curiously as Elizabeth pushed open the large front door.

"I usually don't talk about it until someone asks me what business my father runs," Elizabeth murmured. "I mean, I'll admit I loved my lifestyle growing up, but I didn't want to brag about it."

I was impressed. "I'm proud of you, darling."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you," she said softly. "I thank my parents for my upbringing. I've seen spoiled brats hundreds of times and it just makes me glad that I wasn't raised to be like that. My parents expected me to be true to myself as long as I was respectful and polite to others. Bragging most certainly wasn't in their expectations."

"Well, I'll have to thank your father one day for producing such a wonderful woman."

Elizabeth grinned. "There's no need to compliment me."

I shrugged. "I want to," I replied.

"Ah, Elizabeth!" Mr. Swann suddenly appeared at the top of the grand staircase, a bright expression on his face. "William! I thought you would never arrive!" He made his way down and pulled his daughter into a bear hug. "Your flight went well, I hope, as did the drive here."

"Everything was fine, Daddy," Elizabeth said, hugging her father back. "Nothing big happened except a small delay."

"Good, good." Mr. Swann looked over at me and shook my hand warmly. "You look well, William."

"Thank you, sir," I said politely.

"Beautiful ring Elizabeth is wearing. Where did you end up buying it?"

I smiled a little. "I only bought the diamond, sir. I, erm, have some skill in blacksmithing, so I made her the band."

Mr. Swann looked impressed. "Well, it's made beautifully. Good job, my boy."

My smile broadened. I was pleased with his praise. Mr. Swann wasn't going to be a bad in-law after all. "Thank you, sir," I said happily.

"Well," Mr. Swann said, nodding over to our bags. "I'll have the maids take your luggage to your rooms. Perhaps the two of you should freshen up and take a nap. Dinner will be ready in a few hours."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement as a maid politely walked in the room with her co-worker. "Sounds good to me, Daddy."

"Excellent. I'll see the two of you at dinner."

-----

"So have you two set a wedding date yet?"

I looked up from the salad I was eating and glanced over at Elizabeth. "Well, uh—"

"I was thinking sometime in the summer," Elizabeth said quickly. She looked at me. "Unless you want a different time, love," she added.

I offered her a smile. "Summer is perfectly fine as long as it's not June."

Mr. Swann frowned but looked amused. "What's wrong with June?"

I shrugged, piercing a piece of lettuce with my fork. "I've been around your daughter long enough to know that she will not allow herself to get married on one of the most popular months to have a wedding, sir."

Mr. Swann chuckled. "Yes, I believe you're right, William."

"Oh, I agree," Elizabeth piped up cheerfully. "June is much too boring and typical. July is too hot."

"Then what month were you thinking of, Elizabeth?" Mr. Swann asked.

"August," Elizabeth said softly. She reached out underneath the table and took my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. "I was thinking of having the wedding in August."

"Any days you have in mind?"

Instantly I knew what day Elizabeth wanted us to get married on. It was perfect. I gave her a gentle squeeze as if to say I agreed with her. "August 28," Elizabeth replied. "I was thinking of August 28."

Mr. Swann seemed satisfied and picked up his glass of wine. "Well, then," he said. "I'll see if there's a wedding planner in your area that will be suitable. Is this going to be a beach wedding?"

"Oh, no!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "No, there's this fort that Port Royal has. Fort Charles I believe it is. Anyway, I was curious and asked around and found out that they do weddings in the courtyard. Oh, Daddy, it's absolutely beautiful! It overlooks the ocean and has a wonderful view. Imagine it at sunset!"

Elizabeth ended up spending the rest of dinner chattering about the wedding, throwing suggestions that clearly were meant for women to squeal over and care about. But Mr. Swann and I smiled and nodded, eating as we allowed her to grow excited about the day she dreamed of for years. She somehow managed to contain her excitement after her father excused himself and allowed us to spend some time together in private.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized as she curled up in my side. "I know you don't care much for the details. But…" She chewed on her lower lip. "Once I said the wedding date I couldn't help but think of everything I've wanted since I was a little girl."

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "It's alright, Liz," I assured her. "This is your day. When I was getting married to Victoria, she did all the planning herself and was just as excited as you were."

Elizabeth sighed and rested her head on my chest. "August 28 wasn't your anniversary with her, was it?"

"No. It's close to it, but I left for my service on the twenty-eighth." I stroked her hair. "Don't worry about it."

Elizabeth chewed her lower lip. "Maybe we shouldn't get married on the twenty-eighth, then. It's awfully close to your anniversary with Victoria."

"No," I said firmly. "Yes, it is close, but I met _you_ on that day. August 28 has special meaning to us, Elizabeth. Don't think that just because Victoria and I were married a couple of days before the twenty-eighth doesn't mean we can't get married on the day we want."

"But it seems so wrong."

"Elizabeth," I said softly. "Please don't think about my marriage to Victoria anymore. I know I want to forget about it. This is _our_ day, _our_ life together. If you don't want to get married on August 28, then that's fine, but when you want our wedding to be shouldn't be based on when my first marriage." I stroked her cheek. "Please, love. What do you want?"

Elizabeth clutched my shirt, burying her face in my chest. "I want August 28."

"Then we're getting married on that day. That's _our_ day."

"I'm being ridiculous. I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I kissed her tenderly. "You're my life, Elizabeth. I would die without you. I find so much more in you than I ever did with Victoria. You were merely concerned about my past, am I right?" She gave a nod. "What happened in the past stays in the past. I'd rather focus on my future—with you."

Elizabeth gazed up at me and secured her arms around my neck. "And I'd rather focus on my future with _you_."

"Then we shall."

"Together."

I kissed her tenderly. "Forever."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Really, guys. If you're surprised that Elizabeth picked August 28 for their wedding date... Well, shame on you! XD Go re-read the story, then! Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. :] I'm so sorry for not posting sooner! I'll try to do better next time. ;]

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	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!! Oh, and I don't own Kleinfeld in Manhattan, New York. I don't Pnina Tornai either. Heck, if I owned one or the other (or all three!) I would be so stinkin' rich I wouldn't even write (just kidding)!

**Author's Note:** So I tried to think of something for Will and Elizabeth to do in Scotland and/or Ireland, but sadly, I've only traveled to Italy and Greece. That and I was a little too lazy to look up information on Scotland and Ireland to give you a decent chapter. Sorry! But I gave you a wedding plan chapter for you girls! :D And if you're a guy, uh, well, sorry. You'll end up being as bored as Will during the first part of this chapter. Anywhoo, go read!

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**Chapter 17 – Elizabeth's POV**

As much as I enjoyed my trip to Scotland and Ireland with Will, the moment we returned to Port Royal, I went in wedding planning mode. I immediately called up the wedding planner Daddy had suggested Will and I use, set up appointments to try on wedding dresses, and dragged Will to the nearest computer to look up samples of flowers and color palettes. I had seven months to plan the wedding, and damn it, I was going to plan it!

Clearly, weddings were for the women to plan and enjoy and for the men to show up, but I wasn't about to let Will _not_ know what was going on with this wedding.

Poor Will looked hopelessly lost as I flipped through pictures of previous weddings our hired planner, Megan Keene, had done over the past fifteen years. (I have to say, Daddy picked out a good one!) I was determined to pick out the colors and choice of flowers before the end of the appointment so we could move on with the planning. I found several color themes I liked, but my ultimate decision was going to be something that Will and I _both_ liked.

"I have other blue weddings if you want to look at them," Megan offered as I awed over a blue-themed wedding. "Lighter blues, brighter blues, darker blues… You name it and I can find it."

"I like the darker blues," I said, pausing at another picture. "Geez, I can't decide. I liked the plum purple theme we saw a few minutes ago, but the pink is just beautiful! But the blue…? Wow! I don't know if I like deep blue or navy blue, but I haven't seen the lighter blues yet."

"I don't get it," Will said. "What's the difference between navy blue and deep blue? They're both blue."

I rolled my eyes. "Navy is darker than deep blue, Will."

Megan shook her head, slightly amused. "Let's face it, Liz," she joked. "Will is just looking forward to the wedding night."

Will scowled. "I am not!"

"It's alright to express your hormones, dear," I jested.

"I lived many years without sex," Will said defensively. "I can last a few more months."

I smiled and leaned to kiss his jaw. "I'm sure you can."

Will offered a small smile in return and crossed his arms, sulking in his chair slightly. "Can we please pick out the colors already?" he asked. "I would like to get out of here, tell the guys what to wear, and tell them to show up. Besides, I have work. I'm only here for you, babe."

"Why, thank you, Will."

"You're welcome."

-----

We ended up picking navy blue, yellow, and white for our colors. Well, actually, it was more _me_ who picked out the colors. Will told me to pick whatever it is that was going to make me happy as long as he didn't have to wear pink and we didn't have a cream wedding. Apparently Victoria insisted on having a wedding that consisted of creams, whites, and ivories with hints of pale pink. Will didn't want that and quite frankly, I didn't want to have a wedding that was similar to my fiancé's ex-wife.

While Will didn't care so much about the colors, he practically insisted we use roses. Roses were my favorite flowers, but I didn't suggest it right away because I had always thought I should be open-minded about what flowers to use for the wedding. Will told me to pick them.

"Any particular reason why?" I had asked curiously, looking through photos of bridal bouquets.

Will had smiled sheepishly and buried his nose in my hair. "Because you smell like an English rose," he had confessed. "Well, you always smell like flowers, but I can smell roses every time I'm around you."

"Then roses it is."

For my twenty-first birthday, I ended up flying in with Kate to New York and meeting up with my father and Ana. Not only was this the chance to celebrate my birthday with a weekend getaway, but Daddy surprised me by booking an appointment at a bridal store to shop for my wedding dress. At first I was disappointed that I couldn't celebrate my birthday with Will, but once I learned I was going to shop around for my dress, I was fortunate Will wasn't here. After all, I wasn't about to let my fiancé see my dress before the wedding!

Ana let out a little squeal as the four of us—Dad included—walked inside the bridal store for the first time. "It's so white!" she said in awe. "I wonder how many dresses this store has."

"Thousands, from my understanding," I murmured. "How the hell am I going to choose one out of thousands?!"

"You try some on," Kate said with a smirk. "Then you pick."

I rolled my eyes. "You had it easier," I pointed out. "You bought your dress at a place in Port Royal."

"True."

"So who's the lovely bride?" We were interrupted by what looked to be a bridal consultant, smiling cheerfully.

I raised my hand slowly. "Erm, that would be me…"

The consultant smiled and looked at the group of people I brought with me. I quickly introduced them to her before I was whisked away to the dressing rooms with them. "And what kind of dress are we looking for?" the consultant asked.

I shrugged, glancing at Ana and Kate. "I don't know, really," I said honestly. "Just… I hate tulle. I really do. If I have to wear a tulle skirt on my wedding day, someone besides the groom will be murdered."

The consultant let out a laugh and looked at Daddy as if she knew he had a thing or two to say about the dress I was going to wear. Daddy crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, frowning slightly. "I like the boy," he said. "Believe me, I do. But the only time that boy is going to see anything sexy on my daughter is in the bedroom—_after_ the reception."

"Yes, sir," the consultant murmured. She quickly made an excuse to pull some dresses out and scurried away.

"Wow, Dad," I snickered. "I thought you were always going to believe I'll be wearing flannel pajamas for the rest of my marriage."

Dad shrugged and sighed. "As much as I like to believe that, my dear, I realize you'll be doing things fathers don't want to hear what their daughters doing. And if you're anything like your mother…" He shook his head. "That poor boy will have no idea what will hit him until he marries you."

Eventually, the threesome migrated from my dressing room to the showroom of the store. My consultant brought an army full of dresses. I actually felt overwhelmed when I saw all the dresses hanging there and waiting to be tried on.

"Wow," I finally said. "That's, uh, a lot of dresses." I managed a small smile. "I don't know where to start."

The consultant smiled warmly and unzipped the first garment bag. "We'll try this one first," she said. "Then we'll show the group and take it from there."

"Alright."

The first dress was a ball gown. I had to admit I liked the style, but I didn't like the dress. I didn't mind the embroidery on the bodice, but I felt like the designer was too lazy to do anything to the plain skirt. Kate and Ana loved it, of course. Hell, they were probably going to love every dress I was going to try on.

Honestly, I thought I was never going to find my dream dress. I mean, Kleinfeld had thousands of dresses for me to choose from, but I went through several gowns before I let my group see Dress #2. It seemed like all the dresses I tried on and showed where too plain, too poofy, too tight, too much of sparkle or lace, or not me.

An hour into the appointment, I saw it. I gasped and halted, my poor consultant nearly crashing into me with the long train of the dress I was wearing in her hands. The dress was hanging on a rack elegantly with the rest of the designer's dresses. It was everything I was looking for. "I want to try on that one," I practically begged, pointing to the gown.

"That's Pnina Tornai." The consultant smiled and pulled the dress out further for me to see the details. "Like it?"

"I love it!"

"Well, then." The consultant grinned and guided me back to my assigned dressing room. "I'll get you out of this dress then I'll get the other dress. Deal?"

"Deal!"

As promised, the dress was brought out to me. I beamed as the consultant put it on me. "I think this is it," I murmured, smoothing the skirt a little. "It's just…" I thought of a word. "Gorgeous. It's simply gorgeous."

"And it looks great on you!" The consultant happily led me out to the showroom for a fourth time. "Absolutely stunning!"

"Oh, Lizzy!" Ana gasped and stood up when she saw me. "I _love_ that one! I'm not kidding this time!"

"Pretty!" Kate squealed and joined Ana's side as I stepped up to the platform. "Please tell me that's it!"

I beamed again and looked at myself in the mirror. The bodice framed my torso perfectly. The neckline was a sweetheart. The dress was another ball gown with a pick-up skirt with beaded lace peeking out and 3-D roses scattered. It was perfect.

"Princess?" Daddy stood next to me while my consultant put a veil on me that matched perfectly with the dress. He offered a smile and touched my arm. "What's wrong, dear? Do you like it?"

I sniffed, tears suddenly pouring out. I instantly saw me walking down the aisle, holding Daddy's arm, with Will waiting for me at the end, smiling brightly at me. I didn't care what the others were going to think, but I knew this was the dress I was going to get married in. "This is the dress, Daddy," I whispered, taking a tissue from one of my friends. "This is the dress!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** So she found her dress! :D YAY!!! Like I said, I don't own Kleinfeld or Pnina Tornai, so DON'T SUE ME!!! I also watch way too many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress," so that's how I know there really is a designer called Pnina Tornai and a store called Kleinfeld. And the dress Elizabeth picked really does exist, too. (Saw it in an episode and online.) Yes, I'm a nerd... I know I am... Yes, okay, we already established that piece of information!!!!

...

Sorry. I'm experiencing allergies right now. :P

OH!! And thanks to my sister for looking through wedding dress pictures with me so I could figure out what dress I imagine Elizabeth in! We went through Google and David's Bridal (which I don't own either company, by the way, lawyers!!) before I remembered this dress. :P Thanks, sis!

Review?


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

**Author's Note:** *peeks from behind wall* Missed me?! Yeah, I thought so. I'm so sorry about that! I meant to write and update a couple of weeks ago, but things have gotten so hectic lately that I didn't get around to it. So that's why I missed out on an update for April. (Although this isn't too late of an update!) Anyway, this will probably be your last update until June. Yeah, yeah, I know. I could update Memorial Day weekend, but I have to study for the last of my finals. Once finals are over, I have graduation rehearsals and graduation. NO, I'm not graduating! I'm only a junior. :P (Class of 2011, baby!) Juniors just have to be there to escort the seniors down the aisle, get introduced, "help serve" food at the reception or whatever, blah, blah, blah. So, yeah. Don't expect an update until after June 6. But! Be happy if I decide to get lazy on studying and instead write more for this sucker. ^^

Go read now!

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**Chapter 18 – Will's POV**

The wedding was tomorrow. I had been counting down (well, more Elizabeth than me, I think) for this day and now it was only a day away. Elizabeth was stressed, needless to say, and had been busy, running around between appointments, fittings, tastings with me, and venue visit to make sure everything she picked and planned with Megan was perfect and the way she wanted it. I couldn't say I was the one stressed. All I did this past week was let Elizabeth cry on me when she was too overwhelmed and attend my bachelor's party, which consisted of spending two hours of listening to a drunk Jack sing a pirate song Elizabeth taught him.

But until Elizabeth and I could become husband and wife, we had a rehearsal and a dinner scheduled, which meant I had to drag Jack along with me.

"This is stupid," Jack grumbled, reluctantly walking with me to Fort Charles. "What's the point of a rehearsal?"

I rolled my eyes, refraining from telling him how stupid that sounded. "If we don't rehearse and get this thing right, Elizabeth will be more stressed out, more pissed, and will turn into a bridezilla. And a bridezilla is something Elizabeth is not. I'd rather keep my life until I'm old, thank you."

"But you're the groom! What am I supposed to do during this thing? I just stand there and give you the bloody rings!"

I sighed and gave up, walking into a hallway full of people, ranging from bridesmaids to groomsmen to any parents of the rest of the wedding party. Elizabeth was chewing on her lower lip, clutching a bouquet of bows from her bridal and lingerie showers. She clearly was a bundle of nerves and I knew that one little thing might set her off.

"Hey." I touched her arm and kissed her cheek. "Relax."

I felt my fiancée relax and settle into my arms. "I'm trying," she said weakly.

"We're getting married tomorrow."

"I know." Elizabeth looked tired. "And I don't plan on getting married again until… No, actually, I don't want to get married again ever. This wedding has me all stressed out this week!"

"Hey!" I pouted. "What about me?"

Elizabeth smiled cheerfully and kissed me lovingly. "And because I only want to be married to you."

I kissed her in return and kissed her nose before I rested my chin on her shoulder. "Well, tonight I'm ordering you to go to bed early, sleep in, and enjoy your spa treatments your father is paying for you and the girls." The ceremony wasn't to begin until sunset the next day, so I knew Elizabeth was going to grab her chance to sleep in. She needed it.

"Sleep." Elizabeth sighed. "Mm, that sounds _so_ good right now."

"We'll be done a few hours, babe."

"Good."

The rehearsal went smoothly much to the relief of Elizabeth and the Italian dinner waiting for us at a local restaurant sent everyone in good spirits, including Jack. I was able to take Elizabeth out for ice cream after the dinner and spend some time with her before the wedding the next day.

I found myself on the beach long after I took Elizabeth home. So many thoughts were swarming in my mind. I was happy and excited about marrying the woman of my dreams, but at the same time, I was nervous about the wedding. I couldn't help but think about Victoria and our failed marriage. I wanted to be a good husband to Elizabeth, but I was so afraid I would hurt her and cause her to be with someone else. Elizabeth told me many times, over and over again, that I wouldn't, but I still had that fear. Then there was my father. No one realized how much I wanted my father to know about Lizzy, to meet his future daughter-in-law, and to get to know here. I was jealous that Elizabeth had at least one parent with her but I had none.

I sighed and ran a hand through my unruly hair, hardly hearing someone plop down next to me.

"I thought you went home."

I looked up, surprised to see my fiancée in sweats, sitting down beside me. "I did," I murmured. "But then I got restless, so I decided to come out here and think." I glanced at her curiously. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were going to crash."

"I was," Elizabeth admitted. "But then I went to get a drink of water and just happened to see someone sitting outside on the beach."

"But how did you know it was me?"

"I'm getting married to you, aren't I?" she jested. Elizabeth shrugged and hugged her knees. "The sea."

"The sea?"

"Yeah. You and Jack. You're both drawn to the sea. It's in your blood."

I smiled a little. "It's in you too, I think. I believe that's why you moved back here."

"Perhaps, but there are other reasons why I moved."

"I know."

"So." Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder, arms curved around my torso. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong? You don't get to see me after this until I walk down the aisle, you know."

I pressed a kiss on her head. "I was just thinking about some things," I murmured.

"Tell me. It's bugging you."

She knew me too well. I sighed. "I'm happy," I said quietly. "I'm excited. I want to be your husband more than anything. But at the same time, I'm nervous. I'm…afraid. I'm afraid I'll be a terrible husband. I'm afraid that I'll hurt you and you'll run off with someone else."

"Does this have anything to do with Victoria?" Elizabeth asked softly.

I paused. "I guess so."

Elizabeth rubbed my side. "William, why do you think I agreed to marry you?"

"Because you love me."

"And I _do_ love you. I chose to marry you because not only do I love you, but because I can see us having children together and being together for the rest of our lives." Elizabeth looked up at me. "but I bet Victoria said those exact words, huh?"

"She did," I admitted.

"Thought so." Elizabeth kissed the corner of my mouth. "But I mean those words, Will. There's another reason why I want to marry you. I want to protect you from hurt. I know I can't do that all the time. Couples fight, Will. We've broken up once because of the secrets you've been hiding from me. I don't blame you for our break up because _I_ was the one who broke us up, you know, but I have to say that there will be other times where we'll fight and disagree on things." She kissed my nose. "But when we don't fight, I don't want to ever hurt you. What Victoria did was cruel. Downright cruel. I swear, Will, I'll _never_ do that to you."

I closed my eyes, resting my cheek on the top of her head. "I believe you," I whispered.

"And just so you know, you'll be a wonderful husband. Victoria was the terrible spouse. You weren't. You did everything right." Elizabeth rubbed my chest. "It's going to take time to heal, I think, but I'm going to support you. I'm going to help you. Soon…" She giggled. "I think I'll prove to you you'll be a terrific husband."

I groaned. "Good grief, woman. You'll be the death of me."

"You know you love me!"

"Yeah, I do."

Elizabeth smiled and kissed me tenderly. "What else is wrong?"

I bit my lower lip. "My father," I admitted.

"You miss him?"

"Yes," I confessed. "I wish he could meet you. I wish he could at least get to know you for a bit. He deserves to know the daughter-in-law he's always wanted."

"I'm sorry, Will," Elizabeth said softly.

I shrugged. "It's alright," I said quietly. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"If it helps, I wish my mother was here. It's tradition for the mum to go with her daughter wedding dress shopping. I missed out on that."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I guess we both miss out on our parents. At least Daddy was there with me."

"True." I sighed and kissed her forehead. It was probably getting late. "Thanks for the little talk, my love. I know there will be more talks like this." I chuckled. "You'll make sure of it."

"Mm, you're marrying me."

"That I am." I kissed her chastely. "But perhaps you should get going. We're getting married tomorrow and I can't see you."

Elizabeth chewed her lower lip. "Would you like it if you stayed over tonight? I mean, once we wake up you'll have to leave, but…"

I didn't want to spend the night alone, I had to admit. "Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. "I know you're big on tradition."

"Here's the deal. If I'm not awake before ten and you are, you better leave."

I chuckled. "Yes, ma'am!"

Elizabeth led me from the beach to the cottage not far from where we were sitting. Before I knew it, we were snuggled together underneath the comforts of her sheets, the ceiling fan on to keep the room cool. Elizabeth didn't take long to fall asleep, but I stayed up for another half-an-hour, watching her sleep. At last I kissed her forehead and drifted off to sleep.

"Jack, where the hell is my tie?!"

I groaned and searched frantically for the navy blue tie I was supposed to wear for the wedding. I was on time…so far. I had woken up around nine that morning and left the cottage before Elizabeth woke up as promised and even arrived at the hotel where Mr. Swann had booked rooms for us to get ready in an hour early so I could be on time for Lizzy's sake.

But now my tie was missing as was Jack. I had an hour to get to the ceremony site. Where the hell was it?!

"Jack? Damn it, mate! I hope you aren't pulling a prank today! Now's not the time!"

"I have it."

I frowned slightly. That wasn't Jack's voice. That wasn't any of my groomsmen's voices. Cautiously I exited the bathroom and entered the sitting room of the hotel suite. "Jack?"

"No, son." An oh-so familiar man stood in the middle of the room, tie in hand, a grin on his face. "I'm clearly not Jack."

"Dad."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Surprise! :D Actually, Bill's appearance wasn't planned at all, but I felt really bad for Will. He deserves to have his dad at his own wedding, dang it! Mm, sorry if Elizabeth and Will's discussion was a little rushed. But do realize that Will _does_ believe that Elizabeth loves him and wants to be with him forever; he just had a bad marriage with Victoria and is afraid it's going to happen again. You can't blame the poor guy! Will and Elizabeth will have more discussions about it, I'm sure, but I don't think I'll be writing them unless the opportunity arises. Actually, I think this story only has a few more chapters before I end it...

Anyway...

Review?


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!

**Author's Note:** WHOO-HOO! :D :D :D I'm OFFICIALLY a senior! :D :D :D I was officially introduced as the Class of 2011 on Sunday. ^^ Also more good news! I passed Chemistry with a C-, which means NO SUMMER SCHOOL FOR KEIRALIZ! :D :D :D I also passed Algebra 2 with a B-! ^^ So my senior year is definitely going to be more relaxed. (I only have to take Economics/Government, Religion 4, English 4, and Physics. All my other classes are art.) That means, whatever story I write next might have sooner updates than this story ever had. :]

Anyway, FF decided to remove my five-dash breaker thingy I used in all my chapters, so I've had to resort to using _their_ line breakers instead. :/ Sorry about that. I'll have to go back later and fix them in the previous chapters. In the meantime, continue reading. ;]

**Edit:** I had to fix a paragraph in this chapter once I realized I left something out. If you read the original chapter and saw that one of the sentences did not make sense, I'm so sorry about that! It's fixed now. :]

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**Chapter 19 – Elizabeth's POV**

I missed his warmth when I woke up on the day of my wedding. I was so big on tradition when it came to the wedding, but when I finally opened my eyes past eleven that morning, I was disappointed that Will wasn't there, sleeping next to me or holding me in his arms. I missed him. I know, I know. I was being ridiculous. After all, I was marrying Will. I was going to see him as I walk down the aisle with my father. I was going to do more than sleeping in the bedroom from this evening forward. But he was so warm and comfortable and it felt so natural for him to be there when I slept…

"Damn, Liz. Why can't you get married every day?"

I rolled my eyes and turned my head to look over at Kate, who was thoroughly enjoying the massage my father was treating all of us girls in the bridal party in the hotel suite he booked for us. "Because Dad likes to tease me about how much this wedding is costing him and will kill me if I have a wedding every day for the rest of my life," I replied in amusement. "I know you're enjoying your massage, but…"

"Yeah, yeah," Kate grumbled. She sighed, clearly relaxed. "But this is _really_ nice. I'll have to do this at least once a month."

"What about when the kids come? Are you even going to have time?"

"Screw the kids."

I laughed as my masseuse pulled away and said that my massage was done. I felt so much better compared to the night before. I felt like my stress and anxiety was completely gone despite how I still had to walk down the aisle to get married. "I feel sorry for Matthew," I teased her. "Are you going to make him watch all ten of your kids while you go out and party on the weekends?"

"Mm, maybe." Kate smirked. "But that's a good idea!"

"You're terrible."

"So shoot me. Now, shush. I'm enjoying my massage."

I shook my head with a smile and sat up when my masseuse informed my massage was done. I thanked her before I slipped out of the room to join the rest of my bridal party, where they were getting their nails, hair, and makeup done. I had to smile at the scene and hardly noticed the photographer that arrived to snap pictures of us girls getting ready for the big moment.

"Elizabeth."

I turned my head to see my father, dressed in his tuxedo with a proud smile on his face. "Your dress is ready," he told me softly. "When you're ready, your aunt Martha said she would be honored to take the place of your mother and help you get ready."

I couldn't help but hug him. "Alright," I murmured. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, my dear." Dad cleared his throat and I swore I saw him wiping away a few tears. "I'm about to head off and check on the boys. Do you need anything delivered or any reminders that need to be said?"

I shook my head. Will took care of the men's attire as he couldn't trust Jack. He had the rings. We also exchanged wedding gifts to each other when Will took me out to ice cream so it could be a private moment between the two of us. But there was one thing that had to be sent to the groom's suite. "Only…" I paused and smiled softly. "Could you tell Will that I love him? And that I can't wait to walk down the aisle?"

Dad chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Of course, sweetheart." He kissed my cheek and left to take care of business.

I sighed (happily, mind you) and eased in a chair, allowing my hair to be fixed, my nails to be painted, and my makeup to be done. The photographer busily snapped photos of me, but I pretended he wasn't there. I enjoyed my pampering before my Aunt Martha poked her head out of the doorway of the other room and smiled. "Are you ready?" she asked. "Your dress is waiting for you."

My dress. I smiled and stood up, my bridesmaids watching me. All were excited to see the dress, I'm sure, but I, too, could scarcely contain my excitement. "It's about bloody time!" I exclaimed, my audience laughing.

Aunt Martha grinned and escorted me inside the other room.

The next few moments moved by slowly, but in a good way. I held my breath as I stepped into my dress. I watched in the mirror as my aunt slowly zipped up the back. I smiled as my cathedral veil was placed oh so carefully in the elegant hair do I picked for my wedding day. I stepped into the white high heels and spent extra time to put on the tear-drop pearl earrings my mother wore on her own wedding day. I beamed with pure joy when I finally revealed myself to my bridesmaids and heard their gasps and chatters of excitement. This was it, I realized. I was getting married.

* * *

I clutched my bouquet of white and yellow roses, my arm secured in my father's. One by one my bridesmaids walked down the white aisle runner, littered with yellow rose petals thrown by my cousin's three-year-old daughter. I took a deep breath and glanced over at my father, who in return smiled down at me.

"I'm proud of you, Elizabeth," Daddy said quietly. "You…" He drifted off and his smile wavered a little. I knew he was getting ready to cry. He didn't cry often, but I could always tell when the tears were ready to spill. "You look so much like your mother. Just as beautiful as her on our wedding day." Daddy kissed my cheek. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll still be here," I whispered.

"I know, but it won't be the same. William will be the one taking care of you. Not me."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I know. I love you too, baby girl."

I blinked back tears as the music of my bridal entrance started. I chose not to do the usual "Here Comes the Bride" only because it seemed that it was the only song brides wanted to walk down to. True, brides used other songs too, but "Here Comes the Bride" was too original. Instead I picked. But hearing the music now, I knew the song I chose was perfect.

Daddy and I stepped up to the front of the aisle. Megan fluffed my skirt and veil as the guests stood up, gasped, and took pictures. I smiled brightly, happily. I saw Will's eyes widened, his focus only on me. I loved that man so much…

Slowly I walked down the aisle with Daddy, cherishing my last moment with him before I was to become Will's wife. I occasionally glanced at him to offer him smiles and "I love you"s, but my main focus was on my soon-to-be husband. I scarcely recalled the music ending. I remember hearing my father voicing that he was giving me away and I remember handing off my bouquet and taking Will's hand. But everything else was a blur. Before I knew it, I was facing Will to exchange vows and rings.

"Do you, William Jonathon Turner II, take Elizabeth to be your wife—to live together after God's ordinance—in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

I felt my eyes water again as Will gazed deeply into my eyes and said, "I do."

The priest smiled and turned his attention on me. "Do you, Elizabeth Christina Swann, take Will to be your husband—to live together after God's ordinance—in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and joy, to cherish continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

I was crying by now and Will was offering my one of his warm smiles. Damn, why did I ever want to break up with him so long ago in the first place? "I do," I whispered.

"Great!" I giggled at Will's excited expression. He flushed as he realized what he just said, our guests laughing in amusement. "Erm, I mean…" He coughed, a goofy grin on his face. "Great!"

The priest chuckled and requested for the rings, which Jack obediently pulled out of his pocket. I was actually surprised the idiot didn't lose them, but I wasn't about to say that in case it started an argument. If that happened, we were going to spend the next half-hour on my wedding day arguing about nonsense.

Will tenderly held up my left hand, my wedding ring sliding on to my finger. "With this ring," he said softly, "I thee wed."

I sniffled and picked up his rough, strong hand, the hand that touched me with such care. "With this ring," I cried, "I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you husband and wife." The priest grinned and winked at us. "You may kiss the bride."

Our guests cheered and clapped as Will—my husband—pulled me into a loving kiss. My husband. Will was my _husband_. I never felt happier than I did the moment Will and I were made husband and wife. I glowed as I grasped Will's hand and took back my bouquet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Turner."

* * *

**Author's Note:** YAY! They're officially married! :D *throws a party* Sorry that you had to read their vows. I know, I know. They're kind of long. But at least I didn't go through the whole marriage ceremony process! And believe me, when I looked up the vows, the ring exchange and the announcement of husband and wife was even longer than what I wrote. Oh, and if you're not Christian, I'm sorry about the whole God thing in the vows, but I'm Christian and I'm more familiar with the Christian vows than I am with the non-Christian vows, which is why I looked up the Christian vows. Also, I didn't mention what song Elizabeth chose to walk down the aisle to because I honestly couldn't decide between "Canon in D Major" composed by Johann Pachelbel and "Prince of Denmark's March" (also known as "Trumpet Voluntary") composed be Jeremiah Clarke. I was going to pick Clarke's piece, but I saw a lovely bridal entrance on YouTube with Pachelbel's piece. Yeah, they're both very traditional songs to walk down the aisle to, but for some reason I find them much better than "Here Comes the Bride," in my opinion (which also changes time to time if I like the way someone plays that particular piece, haha). So I'm going to let you use your imaginations and pick either Pachelbel's piece or Clarke's piece. ;]

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	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!

**Author's Note:** Second chapter for today! :]

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**Chapter 20 – Will's POV**

I hardly had time for questions before my father handed me my tie and hurried me out to the waiting limo. I stared dumbly at him for the longest time before Dad chuckled and threatened to pinch me until I was black and blue.

"This isn't a dream, son," Dad said as the limo drove us through Port Royal. "I'm really here."

"But… You're supposed to be on the _Dutchman_! As captain!"

"Yeah, well…" Dad shrugged. "Calypso came to visit me and informed me that my son was to be married to a girl he met over ten years ago. She offered to allow me to attend your wedding as long as I promise to return to the ship the moment the reception ends."

"That's awfully generous of her."

"I think she gave up her evil ways," Dad said in amusement. "Besides, I'm glad she told me about your upcoming marriage. I want to meet this girl."

"Dad…" I paused and looked at him seriously. "She's nothing like Victoria."

"Oh, I believe that. If she was, you wouldn't be getting married, now would you? Besides, from my understanding, she kept that necklace of yours safe and sound."

I had to smile, recalling the little girl in pink with too much curiosity. "She was curious," I muttered. "I gave it to her because she was too curious about my past."

"But now she's a grown woman, ready to be wed to you."

"I suppose so." I sighed and nervously fiddled with my tie. "I love her, but I'm nervous."

"I was when I married your mother," Dad said. He smiled sadly. "It's a shame that she's not here."

"Elizabeth's mother isn't here, either," I said quietly. "She died when Elizabeth was only a teenager."

"I'm sure both women would've been proud to see today."

I gazed out the tinted window to see that the limo had parked in front of Fort Charles where guests were arriving and entering. My groomsmen were standing in a circle, talking and waiting for me to arrive. "I know," I murmured. "I know."

The ceremony had been a blur to be perfectly honest. Elizabeth might smack me if I tell her that, but all I remembered was this beautiful angel walking down the aisle, her hand in mine as we were united in matrimony, and the happy tears that threatened to spill in those beautiful brown eyes of hers. The pictures taken afterwards were also a blur, but I didn't care. As long as Elizabeth was my wife, I was happy.

"I want you to meet my father," I murmured in her ear as we waited to be announced at our reception inside the fort.

Elizabeth's eyes widened and looked up at me in surprised confusion. "Your father? But I thought a—"

"I'll explain later," I promised her. "But I want you to meet him. During dinner, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind!" Elizabeth looked excited. "I would love to meet him."

I grinned and kissed her nose. "Then you will."

As promised, once the speeches were made and dinner had been served, I took Elizabeth away from our sweetheart table and to where my father was seated. He was a bit startled when I tapped him on the shoulder, but he looked delighted to see the woman on my arm.

"You must be Elizabeth," Dad said cheerfully, standing up to give her a proper greeting. "I've wanted to meet you since I heard of the wedding."

Elizabeth relaxed a bit and offered her hand for Dad to shake. "Will has talked so much about you, Mr. Turner," she said honestly. "I feel like I practically know you already."

Dad chuckled and surprised Elizabeth with a hug. "Please, my dear," he said. "Call me Bill. Everyone else calls me Bill—or Bootstrap, even. You're family now. There's no need to address me as if we're strangers."

Elizabeth beamed. "I would like that, Bill," she agreed happily.

We chattered for a bit until I reminded Elizabeth that our dinner was still waiting for us and we needed to eat before the rest of the evening's events. Before we turned away, I caught the look Dad gave me, a look I knew he would never give me if I was still married to Victoria.

He approved.

* * *

"One…two…three!"

I flushed and tossed Elizabeth's garter over my shoulder, the single men behind me reaching to grab it. I've been taught since childhood not to look under a lady's skirt until I was married and in the privacy of the bedroom. I'm sure if my mother saw my hands underneath Elizabeth's skirt in search for a garter strapped to her thigh I would've gotten a good whipping when no one was looking. Although Mr. Swann didn't exactly look thrilled to see his new son-in-law's hands in his daughter's skirt…

Elizabeth grinned and stood up, bringing me into a kiss. "You did good, babe," she praised. There was a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Is that a preview of tonight?"

I blushed fiercely. "Elizabeth!"

"Yes, dear?"

I groaned, clutching the bridge of my nose. "Woman, you'll be the death of me."

Elizabeth giggled. "You know you love me," she chirped, grasping my hand to pull me into a dance.

I nuzzled her neck briefly. "You have no idea how much," I murmured.

Elizabeth hummed happily and rested her head on my shoulder, swaying to the slow song our DJ decided to throw in. After a quiet moment, she finally spoke up, "Will?"

"Mhmm?"

"Where are we going on our honeymoon?"

I rolled my eyes. She had been dying to know since Megan asked me if the honeymoon was going to be a surprise or not. "It's a surprise."

Elizabeth pouted. "But we're married now," she protested. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I enjoy giving you surprises," I said, rubbing my nose against hers. "This is my first honeymoon, you know. I want to make it special."

"And by making it special you're going to make it a surprise?"

I smirked. "Exactly."

Elizabeth sighed as I twirled her. "But I _will_ find a way to get it out of you before we leave."

"My lips are sealed."

Elizabeth stuck out her tongue. I merely laughed and danced with her.

* * *

The hotel hallway seemed oddly quiet compared to the loud noise and music at our reception. We had left shortly after one in the morning and after saying goodbye to our fathers. The goodbye to my father was bittersweet. I knew I couldn't see him again for another eight years, but we promised to keep in touch in the only way Calypso allowed the captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ to do so: messages in a bottle.

Our limo took us from Fort Charles back to the hotel the wedding party got ready in. We were greeted and congratulated by members of the staff and some of the guests that just happened to be awake at that hour. Elizabeth held back a yawn as I inserted our hotel key into the lock, welcomed by a click. Tiredly we entered the room and shut the door, not forgetting to hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign outside.

"I want sleep," Elizabeth mumbled, digging through her suitcase.

"We'll have to save our wedding night for another time," I teased wearily, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you disappointed?"

"Not one bit." Elizabeth sighed and shuffled to the bathroom, pajamas in hand. Fortunately she bought a knee-length white dress as her "going away" outfit. We were simply too tired to wrestle with a wedding gown.

I took off my tuxedo and changed into a T-shirt and pajama pants, crawling into bed. Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom moments later and instantly was at my side, snuggled into my chest. "Good night," I mumbled, burying my face in her hair.

"Mm, love you."

"Love you more."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sadly there is one more chapter (the epilogue) before this story is officially complete. I already started working on it, but it will not be posted until Friday. Why? Friday, June 11 marks the one-year anniversary since Heartbeat was first posted on . I figured it would be special if this story can end on its anniversary date. :]

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	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!

**Author's Note:** This is it, guys. The final chapter.

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Epilogue – Elizabeth's POV

The sheets ruffled and I felt someone nuzzle my neck and wrap an arm around my waist. With a smile, I snuggled myself closer into the chest of my husband and covered his hand with mine, rubbing the smooth band of his wedding ring. We had been married for eight blissful days and we couldn't be happier. The surprise honeymoon turned out to be in Rome, Italy with a day visit to Florence and a two-day trip to Pompeii. We also planned to add a few days to our honeymoon to see Venice, the city of canals. Currently we were in Pompeii before we were off to Venice.

Will let out a soft hum and wrapped his arm tighter around me, settling back in his sleep. Glancing at the clock I noted it was barely past two in the morning. I didn't know why I was awake, but I couldn't complain. After all, I had my husband snuggling in me and keeping me safe and warm.

Heh. My husband. I love that word.

Said husband stirred again and groggily focused on me. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Just after two."

"In the afternoon?"

I giggled slightly. "No, love. Just after two in the morning."

"Oh." Will sighed sleepily and pressed his face in my shoulder. "Why are you awake?"

"I don't know. Why are you awake?"

"Dunno."

I smiled in amusement and turned around, my front facing his. Tenderly I kissed his forehead. "Why don't you go back to sleep?" I suggested soothingly. "I'm fine. It won't take long for me to get some sleep."

"Mm, 'kay."

Will eventually drifted back to sleep while my mind drifted back to the past eight days. I thought of the sites we saw, the pictures we took, the food we ate, and the shopping we did. I thought of Rome and my favorite site: the Trevi Fountain. I thought of Florence and its shops. I thought of the ruins in Pompeii and the dead people casted in ash. I thought of our flight out to Venice the next morning and the pictures I've seen in the pamphlets Will showed me. A smirk slid on my face as I recalled all the moments we decided to ditch the city and head back to our hotel room.

I curled up in Will's chest, remembering the night we were made officially husband and wife. We were simply too tired after our reception to do anything and the jet lag we experienced when we arrived in Rome delayed our wedding night another day. But that night… It was certainly special. Will took me out to a romantic dinner that night. He had been so sweet and insisted that he didn't need to see the lingerie I packed until I was ready to display my body for him. He had been so slow, so gentle, and so comforting. It hurt, I had to say, but I didn't want to take back that moment. That moment was filled with Will's soothing words and apologies and "I love you"s.

But now our private moments in the bedroom included lingerie littering the floor. Will was never rough, but as we touched and explored, the shy gentleman I knew grew a little bold (although he would be embarrassed time to time and would apologize even though I was clearly enjoying myself). How on earth did I deserve such a man? If Will hadn't come in my life, I'd scarcely know if another man would treat me with the same respect, in or out of the bedroom.

I tightly wrapped an arm around his torso, not wanting to let go of him. My action must have startled Will out of his sleep because I noticed his eyes were groggily on me. "What's wrong, love?" he asked sleepily.

"I…" I paused and snuggled in closer, if possible. "I just want you to know that I won't let you go."

Will smiled and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead, rubbing my back with his palm. "And I won't let you go," he assured me. "I mean, I want you to be happy, but I would have a hard time letting you go if you ever change your mind."

I shook my head fiercely. "No!" I exclaimed. "No, I'll _never_ change my mind." I bit my lower lip to keep from crying. "But you have no idea how much you mean to me. This honeymoon… Well, I know we're supposed to have hot, crazy sex every day and whatnot, but this honeymoon has been truly wonderful. I've enjoyed spending time with you and only you. I've enjoyed knowing more about you than I knew before. I've enjoyed learning your little habits I didn't notice before. I… Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Angel." His pet name for me, I discovered. Will smiled again, softly. "You're welcome, I suppose. I have to thank you for marrying me." He kissed my nose. "And I've enjoyed learning your habits too. The ones I've never noticed before, I mean." He chuckled over what I was sure was about one of my habits he discovered during our marriage. "But thank you for breaking the curse," Will added quietly. "If you hadn't… I'm sure that forever would've been awfully lonely."

"You're not lonely anymore."

"No. Not anymore." Will wrapped his arms around me. "I love you, angel."

"I love you more."

We talked a few more minutes, mostly about each other and our future. Will had fallen asleep in the middle of a teasing battle about what we were going to name our kids, leaving me to watch him and to push his curls away from his face. I kissed his forehead and rested my head on his chest.

_Thump, thump._

His heartbeat.

_Thump, thump._

No longer in the Dead Man's Chest, but in his own body, safe and sound.

_Thump, thump._

The sound that told me over and over again that Will was here and was never going to leave or abandon me.

_Thump, thump._

His heartbeat was my lullaby.

_Thump, thump._

I closed my eyes, his heartbeat slowly lulling me to a blissful sleep.

_**Fin**_

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_Author's Note:** 37,500 words (and probably more). 77 typed pages in Verdana font in font size 9. 162,634 characters. 1,363 paragraphs. 3,643 sentences. 22 chapters including the prologue and epilogue. It certainly was bittersweet when I finished editing the epilogue and wrote "Fin." It was surreal. I had hardly believed that I just wrote the last chapter of Heartbeat. Today is the one-year anniversary of when I first put up this story. I can't believe Heartbeat has been as successful as it is now. I didn't expect to get more than ten reviews. I didn't expect to get more than fifty reviews. I didn't expect to get more than _one hundred_ reviews. The emails I get for this story to let me know I have reviews and alerts and to let me know that Heartbeat has been favorited... The number of hits I've seen... It's overwhelming in a good way! I appreciate everyone's words of encouragement. I appreciate all my readers, even if you didn't review or subscribed to this story or favorited it.

Oh, and referring to Elizabeth and Will's honeymoon, I just had to pick Italy. :] I went there last summer, as most of you know, and it's so beautiful there. I have been to Florence, Rome, and Pompeii (although I didn't stay in the cities as long as Will and Elizabeth did, except I did stay a day in Florence), but I haven't been to Venice. I want to go there if I ever go back to Italy. And Rome! I want to see more of Rome. :] And, yes, my favorite site in Rome was the Trevi Fountain. Gorgeous site! Don't get me wrong, though. All the sites in Rome are quite fascinating. :]

**Special Thanks:** I have to thank **imaginarydeathmuffin** (aka Darcy) for making me publish Heartbeat in the first place! I also have to thank **callieandjack** for making sure to remind me that I need to update. :] Also, I thank my sister, **Goddess-Divine-05**, for reading even though she gets too lazy to get on the computer sometimes. ;] Oh, and thanks to **skn0wwb4llxx1nxxh3ll** for reminding me to update while we were sitting around bored after school. :P

Thank you to the reviewers who have read and reviewed as I wrote Heartbeat: imaginarydeathmuffin, Turner Child, MegumiFuu, buffycorvin, owlreader, Kairianna864, piratechu, idle curiosity, javajunkiechick, callieandjack, sincerely MAR, Pegasus Pyrate, Drink Up Me 'Earties Yo Ho, Ariadne Evans, Szahara again, PirateRN, , Icedragon67, Touch of Destiny, oneflame95, Goddess-Divine-05, Fire Dolphin, Lolipop0394, hfce, Raiveene, mysteryfan09, losingsleep20, CaliGirl Alice-Molly, Edward-is-sexier-than-Mike, the fates of love, and thedeejay.

Thank you to my anonymous reviewers: jm and skn0wb4llxx1nxxh3ll. And thank you to my future reviewers and readers and those who have read Heartbeat even if they didn't leave a review! Oh, and thank you to whoever's name I missed while listing everyone! (And sorry if I missed your name! I didn't mean to. :P)

Y'all are the best!

Stories will come in the near future, I promise. :] So keep an eye out for them or author alert me (which ever one suits your fancy)!

Ciao!

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